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THE NILE BASIN. 


Kal p.)]V /cat 7r apa r<2v anb rrjs ’Apafiias rris E uSai/xovos hianepaiovpievuv 
e/xnopuv enl ra 'Panra . . . piavdavopiev . . . t as \i/j.vas 5e a<p J a>v 6 NeiAos 
pei . . . ivdorepcp avxvcp. — Ptol., lib. i. ch. i. 17. 

We learned from traders who passed over from Araby the Happy to Rhapta 
. . . the lakes out of which the Nile flows . . . deep in the interior. 


THE NILE BASIN. 

\ / 


PART I. 


SHOWING 

TANGANYIKA TO BE PTOLEMY’S WESTERN 

LAKE RESERVOIR. 


A MEMOIR REAR BEFORE THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, 

NOVEMBER 14, 1S64. 


WITH PREFATORY REMARKS. 

By RICHARD FVBURTON, F.R.G.S. 


PART II. 

CAPTAIN SPEKE’S DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE 

OF THE NILE. 

By JAMES M'QUEEN, ESQ., F.R.G.S., 

AUTHOR OF A “GEOGRAPHICAL SURVEY OF AFRICA.” 

(reprinted by permission from the “morning advertiser.”) 


LONDON: 



TINSLEY BROTHERS, 18, CATHERINE ST., STRAND. 

1864. 

[The Right of Translation is reserved.] 



LONDON 

BRADBURY AND EVANS. PRINTERS, 


i 



WHITEFRIARS. 


TO 


THOSE KIND FRIENDS, 

ESPECIALLY TO THOSE MEMBERS OF 

THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY 

WHO HAVE AIDED AND ENCOURAGED ME TO COME FORWARD WITH 

®|is Statement, 

THE FOLLOWING PAGES ARE 

AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 


RICHARD F. BURTON. 





ADVERTISEMENT. 


—♦— 

The reader is respectfully requested to observe 
that I have Five main Objections to the present 
“settlement” of the Nile question by deriving the 
great river from the supposed “ Victoria Nyanza 
Lake : 

There is a difference of levels in the upper and in 
the lower part of the so-called Lake. This point is 
important only when taken in connection with the 
following. 

The native report that the Mwerango River rises 
from the hills in the centre of the so-called Lake. 

The general native belief that there is a road 
through the so-called Lake. 



IV 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


The fact that the southern part of the so-called 
Lake floods the country for thirteen miles, whereas 

the low and marshy northern shore is not inundated. 

The phenomenon that the so-called Lake swells 
during the dry period of the Nile, and vice versa . 

RICHARD F. BURTON. 

Churchill House, Daventry, 

Nov. 21, 1864. 

















: 













































































































































































































PTOLEMYS TWO RAKE RESERVOIRS OF TJUE WHITE NILE 


\J ienqii os 
StaiiorC's 


CHOP! 


(rrxiTMBji 

j 

fyeltt-6-first yu 

pRSjourrxty t 

tyffiaubu'Q\ i. 

\ 10.000? ;%&> 


UKAMBANI 


CHHAGA 


Wp&igomeri) 


NILE BASIN 


RICHARD F BRETON 

1864 . 


Stajiforils Estoib*' Xuiuion . 

























































PEEFATOEY EEMAEKS. 


-♦- 

I heee propose to write a few lines of introductory 
matter to a Memoir wliicli was read by me before 
the Royal Geographical Society, on November 14th, 
1864, and which is now published with more of 
detail. It is, however, still a notice purely geo¬ 
graphical of a paper, “ The Upper Basin of the 
Nile, from Inspection and Information,” by my late 
lamented companion, Captain J. H. Speke, F.R.G.S., 
published in the Journal of the Royal Geographical 
Society, vol. xxxiii., 1863. 

The melancholy event of September 15th, 1864, 
which cast a gloom over our meetings at the pleasant 
u Bath Association,” precludes the possibility of my 
entering into any questions of a private or a personal 
nature. It would, of course, have been far more 
congenial to my feelings to have met Captain Speke 
upon the platform, and to have argued out the affair 
before the scientific body then assembled. I went 
down fairly to seek this contest on September 13th. 



G 


THE NILE BASIN. 


The day for the discussion was appointed for Sep¬ 
tember 16th. Some hundreds of persons were 
assembled in the rooms of Section E, and when I 
appeared there it was only to hear that my quondam 
friend and Nile rival had on the previous afternoon 
lost his life by the merest accident. I had seen him 
at 13.0 p.m. ; at 4 p.m. he was a corpse During the 
first shock caused by this most painful announcement 
I could not command myself to speak on the subject. 
Being now about to leave Europe for some years, dur¬ 
ing which the Nile question will have greatly changed 
its present aspect, I cannot, in justice to the public, 
as well as to myself, allow errors—of late almost 
generally received—to make further way. This is 
the object of the present volume. At the same 
time, be it distinctly understood that, whilst differing 
from Captain Speke upon almost every geographical 
subject supposed to be “settled” by his exploration 
of 1860-63, I do not stand forth as an enemy of 
the departed ; that no man can better appreciate the 
noble qualities of energy, courage, and perseverance 
which he so eminently possessed than I do, who knew 
him for so many years, and who travelled with him 
as a brother, until the unfortunate rivalry respecting 




PREFATORY. 


hr 

( 


the Nile Sources arose like the ghost of discord 
between us, and was fanned to a flame by the enmity 
and the ambition of “ friends.” 

V V»» *>»** Vi* v 

I wish in no way to depreciate the solid services 
rendered to geography by the gallant and adventurous 
travellers, Captains Speke and Grant. They brought 
us in an absolute gain of some 350 geographical 
miles—between S. lat. 3° and N. lat. 3°,—before 
known by only the vaguest reports. When, how¬ 
ever, the bulletin of the French Geographical Society 
(p. 266, tome vi. of 1863) speaks out so boldly upon 
the moot question of the Nile Sources, it hardly 
becomes English geographers to hold back. It is 
now, I believe, the opinion of scientific Europe that 
the problem is wholly unsolved, and, more still, that 
within the last four years the Nile Basin has ac¬ 
quired an amount of fable which it never had in the 
days of Pliny and Ptolemy. 

A brief notice of the circumstances under which 
the second expedition of our Society was formed is a 
preliminary indispensable towards defining its results. 
The day after his return to England (May 9th, 1859) 
Captain Speke was induced to call at the rooms of 


8 


THE NILE BASIN. 


the Royal Geographical Society, and to set on foot a 
new exploration. Having understood that he was 
to await my arrival in London before appearing in 
public, I was too late with my own project. This was 
to enter Eastern Africa via the Somali country, or 
by landing at the Arab town of Mombas, whence the 
south-eastern watershed of the Nilotic Basin might 
be easily determined. My offer was not preferred by 
the Council of the Royal Geographical Society. I 
have, however, every reason to believe, even by the 
testimony of the last expedition, that the Mombas 
line was in every way superior. AYith this opinion 
the learned M. V. A. Malte Brun coincides. 

Captain Speke left England on April 27th, 1860, 
and set out definitively from Zanzibar on September 
25th of the same year. On January 23rd, 1861, 
the traveller arrived at our old depot, Kazeh, in 
Unyamwezi, about S. lat. 5°. In 1858 he had 
marched from that point northwards, and after 300 
direct, or 425 indirect, miles, covered in forty-seven 
days, from July 9th to August 25th, he sighted a 
water of whose existence he had heard from Arabs 
as well as Africans. Standing 250 feet above the 
lake, which some called Ukerewe, and the others by 


PREFATORY. 


9 


the generic name, Nyanza—sea, ford, or stream, in 
fact, like Nyassa, the southern lake, it means simply 
a water—he saw 20 to 22 miles of water breadth ; not 
enough, indeed, to command a liquid horizon between 
the islands, which he calls Mazita, Ukerewe, and Ma¬ 
jid, and certainly not, as he states, “over 100 miles” 
( What led to the Discovery of the Sources of the 
Nile , p. 311). He returned to me at Kazeh, con¬ 
vinced that he had lifted the veil of Isis, that he had 
discovered in that “ broad open lake,” not only the 
“ sources of some great river,’ but the Sources of 
the Nile. Now, rivers do not arise in lakes, 
especially when lakes have extensive inundations; and 
Captain Speke distinctly reported, after his first ex¬ 
pedition to that water, that the Nyanza, being nearly 
flush with the surface of the level country to the 
south, shows signs of overflowing for some 13 
miles during the rains. 0 I soon found the subject 


* During the second expedition he found no signs of overflow¬ 
ing on the marshy lands to the N. and N. W. of the lake. This 
circumstance, combined with 400 feet of difference in the level of 
the surface of his Victoria Nyanza, speaks for itself. At our 
opening seance of the Royal Geographical Society for 1864, Dr. 
Murie asserted that such inundation might take place by supposing 
a gorge at the north of the Luta. We should like to hear more 
upon that subject from the learned gentleman. 




10 


THE NILE BASIN. 


too sore for discussion. Captain Speke never re¬ 
flected that the more my expedition did, the better 
for me. Presently I detected, by means of Arab 
travellers, many minor errors in his actual explora¬ 
tion, such as making Mazita, and perhaps Ukerewe, 
islands instead of a peninsula. Nor could I hear 
anything, beyond the old legend which almost all 
African tribes possess, touching ships’ logs, sextants, 
or white 'men near the head of the Nile, of which 
none of my informants had heard. The Arabs of 
Kazeh equally ignored the familiar tribal names of 
Nyam Nyam, Bahri (Bari), Kidi, Shilluks, and 
Dinkas. Also, in his original sketch, Captain Speke 
carried his Victoria Nyanza to N. lat. 2° {Lake 
Regions of Central Africa , p. 206, &c.). Finally, 
the season of the Nile inundation (as I have stated in 
the Lake Regions of Central Africa , vol. ii., p. 218) 
peremptorily forbade the belief that the Nyanza is an 
important feeder of the White Nile. That river in 
Egypt floods in June and falls in December; 
allowing time for the water to flow, it is therefore full 
during the dry season, and low during the rainy season 
south of the equator. About the Tanganyika Lake, 
rain falls only during the six months when the sun is 


PREFATORY. 


11 


in its southern declination. For in Unyamwezi, as in 
Congo, the rains divide the year into two unequal 
portions of eight and four months, namely, the wet 
season, which commences with violence in Sep¬ 
tember and ends in May ; and the dry hot season, 
which rounds off the year. 

In the sketch-map prefixed to these pages, I have 
shown all that is actually known of the so-called 
“ Victoria Nyanza.” The result is a blank space 
covering nearly 29,000 miles, and containing pos¬ 
sibly half a dozen waters. Its disappearance is 
startling, but it has not been made to disappear 
without ample reason. We can accept only the 
southern part seen by Captain Speke when he was 
despatched from Kazeh, whilst I prepared for a 
toilsome march upon Kilwa, and the north-western 
water which he touched in January—July, 1862. 
He brought home, as his original sketch-maps show, a 
long parallelogram extending from north to south, 
and ending in the latter direction with a kind of 
triangle, whose arms fell in from the north-east and 
north-west. This triangle was the only portion that 
he actually sighted ; and a simple protraction of its 
arms, with a horizontal shore-line connecting their 





12 


THE NILE BASIN. 


extremities, is tlie secret of the present Victoria 
Nyanza’s recognised and official shape. 

On his second expedition, Captain Speke left Ivazeh 
in the middle of May, 1861, and travelled to the north¬ 
west, holding so strongly by his preconceived ideas 
of the line of march lying parallel to the lake 
that he never was at pains to ascertain it was there. 
He might have visited it when living with King 
Rumanika of Karagwa, but he did not. After that 
time he turned to the north bending east, and on 
January 28, 1862, he sighted a water, which he at 
once instinctively determined to be the Nyanza. In 
vain the chiefs and people assured him that there 
were two lakes, and not one; and even asked him 
why he had not marched across his own lake instead 
of walking round it? And as he records in his 
Journal these remarks which could not disperse fore¬ 
gone conclusions, his evidence has been justly called 
“insufficient and inconclusive.’ 7 

Captain Speke, shortly after leaving Rumanika, 
crossed the Kitangule River, a large stream running 
from S.W. to N.E. It is difficult to understand by 
his Journal at how many places he actually touched 
the supposed Nyanza, although it appears from his 


PREFATORY. 


13 


map that he perceived it at Mashonde and at 
Mashaka, and that he continued in sight of it as 
far as the Katonga River, a total of 50 geographical 
miles. The only actual record is at page 390 of 
his Journal, where, at Murchison Creek, he walks 
over hills and swamps to the west side of the 
lake, and is conveyed across the mouth of a deep 
“rush-drain” to the royal yacht establishment of 
Uganda. The red route-line on Captain Speke’s 
Journal-map, running from Murchison Creek to the 
Ripon Falls, is a mere mistake; neither of the 
travellers saw a mile of the ground. 

Thus the Westminster Review , No. 50, April, 
1864, p. 315, distinctly asserts, that “on his first 
journey, in 1858, Captain Speke merely visited the 
southern extremity of the lake in about 2° 30' S. 
lat. On his second journey, he and Captain Grant, 
though they skirted the north-western side of the 
lake, did not reach it except at the Murchison Creek, 

in 0° 21' 19" N. lat., and 32° 44' 30" E. long. 

so that, in point of fact, the Nyanza was actually 
visited at only two points, the one at the north, the 
at the south end.” Besides, had Captains Speke 
and Grant really seen — which they did not — the 



14 


THE NILE BASIN. 


three sides of the Nyanza, they would have left 
wholly unexplored 50,000 square geographical 
miles, a space somewhat larger than England and 
Wales. A careful survey was necessary before 
joining with the Nyanza the Baliari-Ngo or Baringo 
Lake. Captain Speke, whilst assuring his readers 
that the Asua—on a former occasion he had called 
it the Usua—River, which drains the latter into 
the Tubiri, Meri, or Upper White Nile, cannot be 
connected with the former, actually runs the two 
reservoirs into one. Thus, without counting the 
Katonga Valley,* he gives a fourth great outlet to 
his Victoria Nyanza, the others being two large 
water-courses which he calls “ rush-drains,” and 
makes to feed the main stream, or White Nile. 
These three effluents were found at the north¬ 
western corner of the lake, within a little more than 
CO miles, a phenomenon which will not readily be 


* The Journal , pp. 277—278, makes this feature wholly unin¬ 
telligible; the water in the “succession of rush-drains is always 
lowest when most rain fell” (?). “There is no doubt that they 
flowed into the lake to the S. E.], as I could see by the 

trickling waters in some few places [is that a test?];” yet just 
outside the valley the “rush-drains were going to northward”— 
the opposite way. 



PREFATORY. 


15 


accepted by geographers. It is far easier to believe 
in three independent lakes or widenings of rivers, 
which, the traveller owns, never exposed to him 
“ a broad surface.” 

On July 19th, 1862, Captain Grant, without valid 
apparent reason, was sent to the head-quarters of 
King Kamrasi, of Unyoro, lying in 1° 37' N. lat. to 
the N.W., and away from the lakes. Captain 
Speke, apparently determined alone to do the work, 0 
marched from Urondogani southwards to the place 
where the river, which he believed to be the White 
Nile, issued from the supposed Nyanza Lake. There 
again no sea horizon was seen. After following the 
stream about 50 miles to the northward from the 
Ripon Falls, he left it and rejoined Captain Grant. 
Both travellers proceeded together to Chaguzi, the 
palace of King Kamrasi, at the confluence of two 
effluents from the supposed Nyanza, the Kafu, f and 

The Westminster Review ( loc . cit. } p. 346) remarks of this 
feat: “But Grant will have little to regret, and Burton will be 
more than avenged, should Tanganyika and not Nyanza prove to 
be the head of the Nile.” 

f The Kafu is a continuation of the Mwerango River, which 
Captain Speke was informed rose amongst hills to the south. 
Thus the hills were in his own lake, “ Victoria Nyanza.” 


1G 


THE NILE BASIN. 


the supposed White Nile, of whose bed 80 to 90 
miles, between Urondogani and Chaguzi, were left 
unvisited. 

From Chaguzi, Captains Speke and Grant again 
followed the stream for 50 miles as far as the 
Karuma Falls, in 2° 15' N. lat. The “ Nile ” bending 
to the N.W., they left it at a considerable distance, 
and marched northwards 1° 25' = 85 miles. Thus 
nearly 140 miles of stream issuing from the sup¬ 
posed Victoria Nyanza were left entirely doubtful. 
After much delay and many mistakes, they pre¬ 
sently came upon the lower course of what was 
supposed to be the stream which they had left 
higher up. But, in truth, they had lost all traces of 
it. The people consulted by Captain Speke “ would 
or could not tell him where the stream had gone 
to.” He believed the Nile to be not far off (p. 585), 
yet, do or say what he would, everybody declared it 
was fifteen marches distant, and that it could not be 
visited under a month. Captain Speke, however, 
u knew in his mind all the reports were false,” and 
the very first march from Faloro u brought him to 
Paira, a collection of villages within sight of the 
Nile.” It is evident from his map that the supposed 




PREFATORY. 


IT 

AVhite River, which may have been his own Kivira, 0 
or other stream, discharged itself into the u Little Luta 
Nzige” Lake, afterwards decreed to be a “backwater.” 
Instead however of beating the stream, Captain Speke 
had clearly missed it: it might easily have been 
drained by the Jur (Djour), which runs parallel to the 
White River, or by a similar branch into the Bahr el 
Ghazal, lately visited by Mr. Consul Petherick. Cap¬ 
tain Speke’s explanation of this peculiar phenomenon, 
and the exceeding difficulties into which that explana¬ 
tion has led him, will be found in the following pages. 

The task of settling the many points touching the 


* Given, like the Katonga and the Kitangule, as an influent to 
the Lake Nyanza in Captain Speke’s map protracted in the field, 
and now in the hands of Mr. Findlay, F.R.G.S. It is suspiciously 
like the name Kira, the region west of the so-called Napoleon. 
Channel. Mr. Findlay, I believe, first suggested that it would 
be better to make the Kivira an effluent flowing to Gondokoro. 
Captain Speke (What led to the Discovery, &c., p. 258) says : 
“The (Usoga) man (at Kazeh) called the river Kivira, and described 
it as being much broader, deeper, and stronger in its current than 
either the Katonga or the Kitangule River ; that it came from 
the lake, and that it intersected stony hilly ground on its passage 
to the N. W. ” All this is simply an after-thought, as a reference to 
Captain Speke’s origiual map will show. Yet in his What led to the 
Discovery, &c., p. 308, he boasts that this map, prepared before 
leaving Unyanyembe, was “ so substantially correct that in its 
general outlines he had nothing whatever to alter.” Let the 
reader compare them. 


18 


THE NILE BASIN. 


“ Luta Nzige ” mystery has been left to Mr. Baker, 
who, by letter dated “Khartoum, June 8th, 1864,” 
was reported to have arrived at Kamrasi’s palace. 

A little beyond Apuddo, in lat. 3° 34' 33", near 
the confluence of the Asua and the White Nile, Cap¬ 
tain Speke (Journal, &c., p. 592) “ at once went to 
see the tree said to have been cut by an Englishman 
some time before,” and he found “ something like the 
letters M. I.” In the map it seems placed to the west 
of “the Nile.” M. Miani, an Italian traveller, who 
has lately organised a fresh expedition for exploring 
the Asua River, marked his extreme point 1° 34' 33", 
or 94'5 miles further south. He says distinctly ( Com - 
mercio d'Egitto of Cairo, Sept. 22nd and 24th), “ My 
name, as marked upon Captain Speke’s chart, does 
not occur at the position assigned to it, but much 
farther to the south, in fact at the 2nd degree of N. 
latitude on the eastern hank of the river, in the 
country of the Galuffi, whereas they (Captains 
Speke and Grant) place it on the left or western 
bank without naming any adjacent city.” M. Miani 
further declares that some envious person pointed 
out to the explorers the tree where it is not. I have 
lately seen his sketch-map, sent to the Royal Geo- 


PREFATORY. 


19 


graphical Society, in which he calls the “ Lower 
Asu6 ” the “Meri Biver.” 

If this be true, what becomes of the confluence 
of the Asua and the so-called White Nile ? Every 
attention should have been paid to the former, which 
is dismissed in a few words, merely telling us that 
the expeditionists sent up the Nile by Mohammed Ali 
had given an exaggerated account of its volume, and 
had fallen 20 miles short of their own “farthest 
point.” But travellers ascending a stream are 
generally better judges of the main line than those 
descending, and of late years all explorers upward 
bound have pointed to the Asua or upper waters of 
the Tubiri or Meri as the True Nile. Mr. Pethe- 
rick, I am informed, makes, after measurement, the 
volume of Asua nearly equal to that of the main 
line of the Nile. In p. 598 of his Journal, Captain 
Speke compares what he believes to be the true Nile 
with “ a fine Highland stream,” in fact a kind of 
“creek,” which seems a queer main drain for his 
mighty Nyanza. Besides, Captain Speke makes in 
his own map the Asua to be the great south-eastern 
fork of the White Nile, and the main drain of the 
Bahari-Ngo Lake. Whether this feature does or does 


20 


THE NILE BASIN. 


not exist in the size now attributed to it, the Asua 
proceeds directly from the north-western water-shed 
of the giant peaks which represent, I believe, 
Ptolemy’s Lunar Range. It is there fed by the CEthi- 
opic Olympus, Kitima-Njaro, whose height (20,000 
feet) and whose snows are at length attested by Baron 
Carl von der Decken. That enterprising traveller 
has again proposed to enter East Africa by one of 
the many streams—the Jub, the Ozi, or the Sabaki— 
falling into the Indian Ocean, and to remove the mists 
which overhang the highly interesting Bahari-Ngo. 

From the time when Captain Speke left the Asua 
his life is public. From Alexandria he telegram’d, 
in April, 1863, to the Foreign Office, these “ preg¬ 
nant words : ”— u Inform Sir Roderick Murchison 
that all is well, that we are in lat. 14° 30' upon the 
Nile, and that the Nile is settled.” (See Proceed¬ 
ings of the Royal Geographical Society , vol. viii., 
No. III., p. 19; also “ Annual Address” of May 
25, 1863, Proceedings , vol. viii. No. IV.) The 
startling assertion announced to the meeting of May 
11, 1863, caused a prodigious sensation. Mean¬ 
while Captain Speke was feted in Egypt by His 
Highness the Pasha, and by His Majestv of Pied- 




PREFATORY. 


21 


mont was presented witli a medal bearing the 
gratifying inscription, “ Honor est a Nilo.” At 
Southampton he was received by the civic authori¬ 
ties and sundry supporters, including a Colonel 
Rigby,- of the Bombay army, ex-Consul of Zanzi¬ 
bar, who had taken a peculiar part in promoting, 
for purely private reasons, the proposed Nyanza-Nile 
expedition of Captain Speke versus the Mombas-Nile 
exploration proposed by myself. On June 22nd, 
1863, he received an ovation in the shape of a 
special meeting of the Royal Geographical So¬ 
ciety, when the windows were broken in by the 
eager crowd, who witnessed, it is said, a somewhat 
disenchanting exhibition. 

From that day the fate of the u settlement” of the 
Nile was well-nigh settled. Those who had hailed 
the solution of the great problem with the highest 
gratification, and who were most ready to accept it, 
felt a sensible cooling of their enthusiasm. Despite 


* <c All ! that harsh voice, that arrogant style, that saucy super¬ 
ficiality which decided on everything, that insolent arrogance that 
contradicted everybody : it was impossible to mistake them ! And 
Coningsby had the pleasure of seeing reproduced before him the 
guardian of his youth # * * Nicholas Bigby.” Chap. 11. 


22 


THE NILE BASIN. 


the differences which had sprung up between us, I 
had been one of the first to pronounce the most 
flattering opinion of the exploratory results, when 
the first personal account of the chief explorer at 
once showed me how little had been effected, com¬ 
pared with the enormous claims put forth. It is 
something to pass over 350 untrodden miles: it is 
something more to a settle the great Nile problem 
for ever.” 

Forthwith controversies touching lake-issues and 
other geographical points appeared in the public 
papers. Captain Speke attempted to veto such 
expressions of thought—so likely in this land!— 
and “a welcome to Captain Speke” was put forth 
in August, 1863, by Blackwood's Magazine —a 
periodical from which, for reasons best known to 
myself, and wholly unworthy of being placed before 
the public, I have never of late years expected to 
receive justice. 0 In January, 1864, the subject 
was thrown open by Captain Speke’s Journal of 

* The author of the “ Welcome”■—written of course by way of 
advertisement—boasted thus : “We were the first to satisfy our¬ 
selves with Captain Speke’s geographical views.” I congratulate the 
Editors, and only hope that they will be the last. 


I 


PREFATORY. 23 

the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. It went 
off rapidly for a short time, after which, despite all 
exertions on the part of the enterprising publishers, 
it suddenly ceased to make its way—thus dealing 
a second heavy blow to the “settlement’’ question. 
The last—the coup de grace —was the injudicious 
reproduction by Messrs. Blackwood of another 
volume, What led to the Discovery of the Source of 
the Nile , when nearly all Europe had made up its 
mind that “Non-Discovery” would be the more 
fitting term, and that “ Sources,” not “ Source,” 
would be the proper number. The book fell still¬ 
born from the press. It was a mere reprint, as is 
partially owned in the “ Advertisement,” of papers 
contributed to Blackwood's Magazine in 1859,18G0, 
when I first understood the danger to which I had 
exposed myself by not travelling alone, a lake seen 
only for 20-22 miles at the southern edge, and pro¬ 
longed by mere guesswork 240 miles to the north 
—reaching, in fact, N. lat. 2°, a country well known 
by report—sufficed to stultify the whole expedition. 
How publishers were found for it still passes my 
comprehension. This second book, without correct¬ 
ing a single error, offered only the insertion of notes 

c 2 


24 


THE NILE BASIN. 


and passages upon a subject which we had both 
tacitly agreed to avoid. 

For nearly a year and a half—between June, 1863, 
and November, 1864—Captain Speke’s views touch¬ 
ing the Nile Basin and the Nile Sources have been 
before the world. I have hitherto avoided noticing 
any of his statements, except in my absolutely neces¬ 
sary reply to a note addressed by him on January 
14th, 1864, to the editor of the Athenaeum . Had 
we met at Bath the discussion which would have 
resulted must have brought forth a far more search¬ 
ing scrutiny as regards the late expedition than can 
now be expected. As it is, I must be dumb upon 
many points, of which, under other circumstances, I 
had a right to speak. 

A glance at the Ptolomeian map appended to this 
paper, and taken from Dr. Beke’s lecture, alluded 
to in the following pages, shows the scanty justice 
with which the great Pelusiot has lately been termed 
a “ hypothetical humbug.” The grand Divisio Aqua- 
rum between the Nilotic Basin draining to the Medi¬ 
terranean, and the Zambezian Basin discharging: 
into the Indian Ocean, is placed by Ptolemy in S. 
at. 12° 30'. During the last year the Zambezi 




PREFATORY. 


25 


expedition has brought home good geographical 
and physical reasons, 0 which will be presently 
adduced, for placing it in S. lat. 9°, when, a few 
years ago, the boldest theorists hesitated to admit 
the possibility of the Nile sources being derived 
from S. lat. 3°. On the other hand the confluence 
of the effluents from the eastern and western lake 
reservoirs which form the true White or (Ethiopian 
Nile are placed by Ptolemy in N. lat. 2° O' 0". A 
reference to Captain Speke’s map places the same 
point where the Asua, Tubiri, or East Nile branch, 
joins the western effluent from the Tanganyika Lake 
and the Luta Nzige in N. lat. 3° 34' 33"; and M. 
Miani, it will be remembered, prolongs it 2° N., 
making a close approach to where (says Ptolemy) 
u the River Nile becomes one, by the uniting of the 
rivers that flow out of the two lakes which are 
placed higher up.” In this we have more than 
coincidence. Like the White Nile, the Astapus, 

* I say geographical and physical, meaning the results of 
exploration. Before their return Dr. Beke had theoretically 
inferred that, “ if it were allowable to attempt to be definite in 
a matter which is necessarily indefinite ” (no European having 
even then visited it), the division between the Mediterranean and 
Indian Ocean waters “ might be placed in 9° S. lat. and 27° E. 
long .”—Westminster Reviev :, April, 1864, p. 327. 


26 


THE NILE BASIN. 


Blue River, or Nile of Bruce, passes through a lake, 
the Coloe Palus, which all identify with Lake 
Tsana. As is found in the lake reservoirs of the 
(Ethiopian or True Nile, it is placed too far south, 
upon the equator, when it lies in N. lat. 12°. In the 
following pages I have attempted to show how this 
misconception may he accounted for. 

After so long a silence upon the subject I am, 
methinks, justified in drawing public attention to 
what was effected by the expedition of 1857—59, 
which was under my almost unaided direction. 0 
When wholly ignorant of the country, its language 
and trade, its manners and customs, preceded only by 
a French naval officer, who was murdered shortly 
after he landed on the coast, and but feebly sup¬ 
ported by my late lamented friend Lieutenant- 
Colonel Hamerton, Her Majesty’s Consul at Zan¬ 
zibar, whom nearing death prevented from carrying 
out the best of intentions, I led the most disorderly 

of caravans into the heart .of Eastern Africa, and 

_ * 

discovered the Tanganyika and the Nyanza lakes, f 

* In his What led to the Discovery of the Source of the Nile , 
(p. 298), Captain Speke maintains that his first sight of the 
“ Ukerewe Sea ” was “ the discovery of the source of the Nile.” 

f Captain Speke chose again to employ Shaykh Said, my Ka- 



PREFATORY. 


27 


I brought home sufficient information to smooth the 
path for all who chose to follow me. They had but 
to read the Lake Regions of Central Africa and 
volume xxx. of the Royal Geographical Society 
to learn what beads, what wires, what clothes are 
necessary, what guides, escort and porters are 
wanted, what facilities offer themselves, and what 
obstacles are to be expected. Dr. Beke has kindly 
found “ reason to call this emphatically a memora¬ 
ble expedition.” Except by a few esteemed friends 
it has hitherto either been ignored or forgotten. 

The labours of the first expedition rendered the 
road easy for the second. The line had been opened 
by me to Englishmen, and they had but to tread in 
my steps. In the preceding pages I have shown 
how a thorough misconception of the Nile sources 
and a preoccupation of ideas prevented anything like 
a successful and a satisfactory exploration being as 
yet effected by those who succeeded me. The reader 

filah-bashi, or caravan leader, and had to leave him behind at 
Kazeh. Baron von der Decken took my one-eyed Jemadar, 
and failed to reach the Nyassa or Southern Lake. Late com¬ 
munications from Zanzibar show that the c ‘ faithfuls ” of the last 
expedition, who included some of the most objectionable of the 
first, have been ever since their return in the completest state of 
demoralisation. 


28 


THE NILE BASIN. 


must not, however, suppose—the mistake should be 
averted at the danger of iteration—that any charge 
of wilful misrepresenting, of asserting what he did 
not in every way believe, is brought against Captain 
Speke. When he declared in his “ Taunton 
Speech ” (December 24th, 1863) that as the real 
discoverer he “had in 1857 hit the Nile on the 

V 

head, and in 1863 drove it down to the Mediter¬ 
ranean,” he believed these words as firmly and as 
unreasoningly as he did in his “ Victoria Nyanza ” 
Lake. His peculiar idiosyncrasy of long brooding 
over thoughts and memories, secreting them until 
some sudden impulse brought them forth, may ex¬ 
plain this great improbability. His mind, moreover, 
could not grasp a fact, else how explain his “par¬ 
tial eclipse of the moon on the 5th and 6th of 
January, 1863 ” ( Journal , p. 243). Nor does he 
know the use of words. u A village built on the 
most luxurious principles” is a mass of dirty huts ; 
a “ king of kings ” is a petty chief; a “ splendid 
court ” is a display of savagery; and the “ French 
of those parts ” are barbarians somewhat superior to 
their neighbours. “ Nelson’s monument at Charing 
Cross ” is a specimen of what we may expect in 



PREFATORY. 


29 


Central Africa. I cannot but regret that, in one 
point at least, his example should hitherto have 
been followed by his last companion. Captain 
Grant has not (I refer to his printed paper “ on 
the Native Tribes visited by Captains Speke and 
Grant in Equatorial Africa,” read before the Ethnolo¬ 
gical Society, June 30, 1863) owned the vast 
benefits which the second derived from the first 
expedition. 0 

I must here express my gratitude to Messrs. 
Beke, Yaux, and Hogg for the perusal of the valu¬ 
able papers which are mentioned in the follow pages, 
and by which my case has been so much strength¬ 
ened. To Doctors Livingstone and Kirk, and to 
Messrs Findlay! and Bates, Fellow and Assistant 
Secretary of the Boyal Geographical Society, my 
best thanks are also due in carrying out conclusions 

* The paper opens with te dividing the country traversed into 
districts,” and the descriptions of the eastern and southern districts 
are borrowed almost literally from my writings, without a word of 
acknowledgment, even to say that I took any part in “ Captain 
Speke’s previous journey.” 

t When last in Western Africa I received a letter from Mr. 
Findlay, drawing my attention to the northern watershed of the 
Tanganyika, and suggesting a great part of what is said in these 
pages. 


30 


THE HILE BASIN'. 


for which no one is answerable but myself. And I 
here also record my obligation to Mr. Trelawney 
Saunders of Messrs. E. Stanford and Co.’s firm : he 
has not only drawn my sketch-map, but also, by his 
extensive and accurate study, he has been enabled to 
draw it correctly. 

To the veteran African geographer, Mr. James 
Macqueen, my thanks are especially due for permis¬ 
sion to reprint his valuable and original letters on 
“ Captain Speke’s Discovery of the Source of the Nile.” 
His literary labours in the cause of the Dark Penin¬ 
sula have extended through half a century, and 
hardly ever before has he shown greater acumen 
or higher spirit—to say nothing of his inimitable 
dryness of style—than in those compositions, put 
forth at a time when the English world was bowing 
down before their latest idol. Mr. James Grant, who 
first ushered them into existence, has also obligingly 
allowed me to present them to the public in a con¬ 
nected form. 



LAKE TANGANYIKA, 

PTOLEMY’S WESTERN LAKE-RESERYOIR OF 

THE NILE. 


The intelligence lately brought home by Dr. 
Livingstone and bis scientific co-operator, Dr. Kirk, 
throws a remarkable light upon a hitherto dark 
question. It verifies in a striking way a detail of 
Ptolomeian geography, until now either ignored or 
accounted for by an error of copyists. I allude to the 
northern drainage of the Tanganyika Lake, and to 
the southern limit of the great Nilotic basin, as far as 
the latter is at present known. 

In a letter from Dr. Livingstone, read at the 
meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, June 13, 
1864, occurs this highly interesting statement:— 

1 With regard to the existence of a large river 
flowing into the northern end of Nyassa from Tan¬ 
ganyika, Dr. Livingstone was assured by all the 
natives of whom he inquired that there was no such 




32 


THE NILE BASIN. 


stream, but that two small rivers alone enter the 
lake from the north. The numerous streams met 
Avith on this journey (viz., the last in 1863) flowing 
from the west seem to warrant the conclusion that 
no flow of water from Tanganyika is necessary to 
account for the great depth of the (Nyassa) lake and 
the perennial flow of the Shire.’ 

Dr. Kirk, who makes the Nyassa AVater 200 miles 
long by 15 to 60 broad, stated personally at the same 
meeting:— 

‘ As to a river coming in from the north, the only 
ones we heard of were two small ones; one named 
in a generic way the Rovu, which simply means 
“river,” and the other, which they describe as a 
small river coming in from a marsh.’ 

Since that time, Dr. Kirk kindly placed in my 
hands, with permission to publish, the following valu¬ 
able note :— 

1 The region between the Nyassa and Tanganyika 
Lakes, being as yet unexplored, our knowledge of the 
animals inhabiting these waters becomes of some 
interest in guiding us to a solution of the vexed 
question as to their continuity or their separation. 




THE NILE BASIN. 


33 


On the former supposition the Tanganyika must 
belong to the Zambezi hydrographic basin, other¬ 
wise it will pass to the Congo 0 or the Nile. 

4 When the Tanganyika was discovered, a collec¬ 
tion of its shells was formed by Capt. Burton ; the 
same has been done on the shores of the Nyassa by 
myself. Between these there is no community of 
species, while both contain many new forms. 

4 Among those from the Nyassa is one of a type 
for the first time observed in Africa ; being large and 
handsome, it could not easily be overlooked were it 
present in the Tanganyika. 

4 On the other hand, Capt. Burton’s collection 
possesses one allied to a species common on the 
Nile, and unknown on the Nyassa. This favours my 
opinion that no communication exists between the 
two waters, f 

* My visit to the rapids of the Cod go River in August and 
September, 1863, convinced me that the north-eastern or smaller 
fork of that great river issues from an equatorial lake unconnected 
•with the Tanganyika. At this moment it may have been visited 
by my enterprising friend Paul du Chaillu, who has proposed for 
himself the noble task of penetrating to the Nile Basin from Western 
Africa. 

t Dr. Kirk, a naturalist, and a man full of facts, attaches some 
■weight to community of forms arguing continuity of water. 
Others deny the inference. 


o 


34 


THE NILE BASIN. 


1 We now know that the fish of the Nyassa Lake 
are peculiar to itself, and differ from those of the 
Lower Shire, its outlying stream, which is isolated 
from the upper part by a formidable series of falls 
and rapids. Of the fish of the Tanganyika nothing is 
known, otherwise this geographical question might 
be almost set at rest. 

4 The wide distribution of animals and plants over 
Tropical Africa is in strong contrast to the very 
local and peculiar nature of the fauna of its great 
fresh-water lakes. 

(Signed) ‘ J. Kink.’ 

Dr. Livingstone has also favoured me with the 
details concerning a weed from which the accolents 
of the Nyassa extract their salt. That great traveller 
wrote :—‘ I thought that I had a specimen of the plant 
which floats ashore at Lake Nyassa, and from which 
the natives obtain a salt used in cooking, but I cannot 
find it. When chewed its taste is distinctly salt. If 
so used in Lake Tanganyika, it may account for the 
freshness, though I confess I feel more inclined to 
the theory of an outlet still unknown.’ This remark¬ 
able lacustrine production is wanting to the Tan- 


THE NILE BASIN. 


35 


ganyika water, ancl its adjacent tribes are obliged to 
transport the condiment from various diggings lying 
at considerable distances. Dr. Kirk has thus ex¬ 
plained the matter:— 

1 Understanding now your question, I may attempt 
a reply. 

1 The weed gathered and burned, whose ashes 
serve as a relish to food for the Nyassa natives, is the 
u Potamogeton pectinatus ” of Linnaeus. With this 
is often mingled small quantities, perhaps accident¬ 
ally, of Valisneria spiralis. Where salt is plenty, I 
have never known this used. 

‘ Salt is washed at the south end of the Nyassa, 
and carried up its western bank for sale. It was 
a good way up the western shore, and at a distance 
from any salt-washings, where I saw the weed col¬ 
lected. 

(Signed) ‘J. Kirk; 

i 

Thus, it is evident there is no connection between 
the Tanganyika and the Nyassa reservoirs. What 
then, I would inquire, becomes of the surplus water 
from the Tanganyika Lake ? 

In company with the lamented Captain Speke I 


36 


THE NILE BASIN. 


explored, in February, 1858, the great basin since 
identified by Mr. Hogg with the “ Zambre ” or 
u Zambere ” of old geographers. 0 We dwelt on its 
eastern borders till May 25, visiting (April 26) Uvira, 
our farthest northerly point, about 10 or 12 miles 
from the end of the lake. There my hopes of 
discovering the Nile Sources were rudely dashed 
to the ground. Receiving a visit from the three 
stalwart sons of the local sultan, Maruta, the 
subject of the mysterious stream which all my in¬ 
formants, Arab as well as African, had made to issue 
from the Tanganyika, and which for months we had 
looked upon as the Western Head-Stream of the 
Nile, was at once brought forward. All declared 
(probably falsely) that they had visited it; all as¬ 
serted that the Rusizi River enters into, instead of 
flowing from, the Tanganyika. I felt sick at heart. 
The African’s account of stream-direction is often 
diametrically opposed to fact: seldom the Arab’s; in 
this point I differ totally from Captain Speke. But 

* P. 4 of a learned paper , 11 On some old maps of Africa in which 
the Central Equatorial Lakes are laid down nearly in their true posi¬ 
tion.” From the Transactions of the Royal Society of Literature , 
vol. viii., new series. 


THE NILE BASIN. 


37 

our unruly crew of the Wajiji savages would not 
suffer us to remain at Uvira, much less to penetrate 
northwards. We were therefore compelled to return 
hurriedly, and thus, as I have related {Lake Regions 
of Central Africa , vol. ii., p. 117), the problem was 
fated to remain a mystery. 0 

Respecting the Southern Tanganyika, the Arabs of 
Kazeh, who have frequently and in large parties 
visited the lands of the Marungu lying at the extre¬ 
mity which faces Nyassa, positively informed me (Joe. 
cit.j p. 153) that the “ Runangwa or Marungu River, 
which drains the southern countries towards the Tan¬ 
ganyika, equals the Malagarazi (or eastern feeder of 
that lake) in volume; ” and all agreed in making it 
an influent, not an effluent. Had there been an im¬ 
portant stream in that direction, the colony of Arab 
merchants which, for several years, has inhabited 
Lusenda or Usenda,| capital of the Cazembe, lying 


* I distinctly deny that any (C misleading by my instructions 
from the Royal Geographical Society as to the position of the 
White Nile,” left me unconscious of the vast importance of ascer¬ 
taining the Rusizi River’s direction. The fact is, Captain Speke 
was deaf and almost blind, I was paralytic, and we were both 
helpless. We did our best to reach it, and we failed. 

t First visited by Dr. de Lacerda e Almeida, in 1798. Generally 


i> 


38 


THE NILE BASIN. 


to the south-west of the Tanganyika Lake, would 
soon have found their way northwards. The same 
consideration renders Mr. Cooley’s obsolete and 
obstinate confusion of three Lakes into one a moral 
impossibility. Another impossibility may be ob¬ 
served in the Mombas Mission’s map, which has 
also confounded the three Lakes. The water is 
made so broad, that no native canoe would attempt 
to cross it. They must be first supplied with sextants, 
or at least with mariners’ compasses. But Mr. Cooley 
still fights fiercely for his own misbegotten confu¬ 
sion ; the missionaries have given up theirs. Like a 
navigable river in Arabia, such a water-way, 800 
miles in length, would have altered the state of the 
whole African interior. 

Returning to England in May, 1859, I found 
geographers unwilling to believe that a reservoir 
250 to 300 miles long, and situated at a considerable 
altitude in the African zone of almost constant rain, 
can maintain its level without efflux. Moreover, 
they argued that the freshness of the water would, 
under normal circumstances, prove the escape of 

placed about S. lat. 8° 10' and E. long. 29°. Of late years many 
Arabs and Sawahilis have “ squatted ” there. 


THE NILE BASIN. 


39 


saline substances washed down by tributaries from 
the area of drainage. 

The Journal of the Royal Geographical Society 
(vol. xxx., 1860) lost no time in offering a solution of 
the “ strange hydrological puzzle.” Earl de Grey 
and Eipon’s address thus enters upon the question: 
—“ The configuration of the country to the north¬ 
ward (of the Tanganyika) gives us excellent reason 
to believe that the northern tributary is correctly 
described; but whether the river mentioned as 
entering the lake at the south does not really 
run out of it , is a fair matter for discussion.” 0 
The visits of Dr. Livingstone to the Shirwa and 
Nyassa Lakes, then not thoroughly explored—the 
circumstance that the three waters, Tanganyika, 
Nyassa, and Shirwa, were approximately at the 
same level f—and the possibility that the Tanganyika 
might be the highest of them all, afforded a satis- 


* The theory is usually attributed to Mr. Francis Galton, 
F.R.G.S. ; and as long as Captain Speke’s “Lunse Montes,” as he 
loved to call them, were allowed to blockade the north of Tanga¬ 
nyika, it was exceedingly plausible. 

t Captain Speke had placed the Tanganyika at 1844 feet above 
the sea. Dr. Livingstone gave 2000 feet of altitude to the Shirwa ; 
difference, 156 feet. 




40 


THE NILE BASIN. 


factory hypothetical solution. The connection, with 
or without small intermediate waters, between the 
Tanganyika and the Nyassa, would account for the 
surplus waters of the former, and for the non-varia¬ 
tion of height in the splendid Shire River which 
drains the latter. 

On the other hand, Captain Speke, shortly after 
our return, published, much against my wish, two 
papers in Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine , Sep¬ 
tember and October, 1859. They were accompanied 
by a sketch-map, in which, to my astonishment, 
appeared, for the first time in print, a huge range 
estimated to rise 6000 or 8000 feet, and dubbed the 
“Mountains of the Moon.” At first the segment of 
a circle, it gradually shaped itself into a colt’s foot 
or a Lord Chancellor’s wig, and it very effectually 
cut off all access from the Tanganyika to the Nile. 
Without recalling to mind things that should be 
now forgotten, I must record my unceasing struggle 
against the introduction of a feature which was fre¬ 
quently copied into popular maps abroad and at 
home. 0 All that Captain Speke could say of the 

* “We find in the centre of Africa a high group of hills sur¬ 
rounding the head of the Tanganyika Lake, composed chiefly of 


THE NILE BASIN. 


41 


Lunar Horseshoe was explained in our Journal 
(vol. xxxiii.). “ Both the Arabs and the natives 
said the Rusizi (at the northern end) was a very 
large river, much greater than the Malagarazi River 
. . . . for which reason I imagined the mountains 
encircling the head of the Tanganyika must neces¬ 
sarily attain an altitude of from 8000 to 10,000 
feet.” ° These heights, as Mr. Findlay the learned 
Editor of Volume xxxiii. remarks, were “ not shown 
in Captain Speke’s map of the route sent home after 
the visit to the Tanganyika head ; nor in his sketch- 

argillaceous sandstones, which I suppose to be the Lunae Montes (!) 
of Ptolemy, or the Soma Giri of the ancient Hindus ” (? ?). (Cap¬ 
tain Speke’s Journal of the, Discovery of the Source of the Nile , 
Introduc. p. xv.) In p. 263, he owns to having built up these 
mountains u solely on scientific geographical reasonings,” and he 
actually falls into the venerable error of deriving from almost the 
same source the Nile, the Congo, and the Zambezi. In a letter 
read before the Royal Geographical Society (Nov. 14, 1864), Cap¬ 
tain Grant, if I rightly understood him, asserted that the mountains 
were the work of the engraver, and that Captain Speke was amused 
by the exaggeration. But Captain Grant should have visited the 
map-room of the Royal Geographical Society, where he would 
have found a map by Captain Speke showing the Lunar Horse¬ 
shoe in all its hideousness. Mr. Findlay, F.R.G.S., has 
another. 

* Captain Speke’s “ View of Mount Mfumbiro” ( Journal , p. 
214), which he believes to reach 10,000 feet, shows a cone of 4000 
at most. 


42 


THE NILE BASIN. 


map sent in July, 1858. It was impossible to see them 
on either journey. In the first expedition the alleged 
north point was not approached within 160 miles, 
and the formation of the head of the lake prevented 
distant view in any direction. During the second 
exploration the nearest and highest point, the 
Mfumbiro Cone, raised to 10,000 feet, supposed to 
have been 50 miles distant, and the centre of the 
range is marked as 150 miles from the nearest 
point of the route.” In Captain Speke’s original 
map, sent from Egypt to the Royal Geographical 
Society, and published by Mr. E. Stanford, June, 
1863, this moon-shaped range is not laid down ; 
the name is given to two parallel sierras flanking 
the northern end of the Tanganyika, and far south 
of the position attributed to the Mountains of the 
Moon in his later map.° The objectionable feature 
was, after three or four years, duly rejected. 

During his last march, Captain Speke apparently 
coincided with Earl de Grey’s Address, using these 

* Says Mr. Hogg (p. 38),“ In the map published by Mr. Edward 
Stanford, June 22, 1863, and signed by Captain Speke, ‘ 26 Feb¬ 
ruary, 1863,’ the mountains termed by that traveller the 4 Moun¬ 
tains of the Moon ’ are placed at the north extremity of Lake 
Tanganyika ; but in his own map, published in his Journal in 


THE NILE BASIN. 


43 


words (vol. xxxiii. p. 324): “It was a pity I did 
not change the course I gave to the Marungu River 
(i.e., making it an effluent not an influent), but I 
forgot my lesson and omitted to do so.” In his 
Journal (p. 90), he thus expresses himself—“Ever 
perplexed about the Tanganyika being a still lake, I 
inquired of Mohinna and other old friends what they 
thought about the Marungu River (at its southern 
extremity); did it run into or out of the lake ? And 
they all still adhered to its running into the lake, 
which is the most conclusive argument that it does 
run out of the lake.” A truly extraordinary train 
of reasoning! 

Presently it became evident to every geographer 
who cast his eye upon the map produced by the 
Nile Expedition of 1860-1863, that the Rusizi River 
might drain the Tanganyika Lake either into the 
water called the Luta Nzige—Dead Locust—or by 
some other means into the White River, the Nile. 
Many years ago Mr. Macqueen received from an Arab 

December last, Captain Speke in the construction of it has altered 
their position and inserted them around the west and north sides 
of the more northern Lake Busizi ( N.B . manifestly a widening 
of the river), and has also given them a certain mythical colt’s 
foot form.” 





44 


THE NILE BASIN. 


who had visited Unyamwezi, the following remarkable 
statement, touching the Tanganyika :— u It is well 
known by all the people there, that the river which 
goes through Egypt takes its source and origin from 
the Lake.” ( Journal , Royal Geographical Society , 
vol. xv. pp., 371—374.) Captain Speke, on return 
from his first journey, thus recorded the information 
given by Shaykli Hamed, a respectable Arab trader: 
—“ A large river called Marungu supplies the lake 
(Tanganyika) at its southern extremity; but except 
that and the Malagarazi River on the eastern shore, 
none of any considerable size pour their waters into 
the lake. But, on a visit to the northern end, I saw 
one , which was very much larger than either of them, 
and which I cun certain flowed out of the lake; for, 
although I did not venture on it, in consequence of 
its banks being occupied by desperately savage 
negroes, inimical to strangers, I went so near its 
outlet that I could see and feel the outioard drift of 
the waterS—(Blackwood , Sept., 1859, and Captain 
Speke’s What led to the Discovery of the Source 
of the Nile , p. 20. N.B. The italics are my own.) 
Several authors have recently recorded their adhe¬ 
rence to this opinion. My learned friend Mr. W. 



THE NILE BASIN. 


45 


S. W. Vaux, On the Knowledge the Ancients pos¬ 
sessed of the Sources of the Nile (from the Transac¬ 
tions of the Royal Society of Literature , vol. viii. 
New Series, p. 29), thus expresses himself:—“ I 
cannot myself help thinking that this Luta Nzige 
will be ultimately found to be one of a chain of 
lakes of which the Tanganyika is the largest and 
most southern; the more so, as I have already 
stated I feel no confidence in the emplacement of 
Captain Speke’s “Mountains of the Moon,” which, on 
his map at least, would bar any outlet from the 
southern to the northern lake.” Others have hypo¬ 
thesized a gorge or valley by which the Tanganyika 
waters might flow northwards through the “ Colt’s- 
foot Range,” which has, I have said, now been 
abolished. Mr. John Hogg (Joe. cit ., p. 23) refers 
to his Plate III., a map published in 1623 by the 
most distinguished geographer of his age, Gerhard 
Kauffmann, who is better known by his Latin name 
of Mercator , he having been the inventor of the 
geographical Projection called after him. “ In this 
system ‘ Nilus fl.,’ as Ptolemy believed, derives his 
western fork from an immense water named Zaire 
or Zembre Lacus, and corresponding with our Tan- 



46 


THE NILE BASIN. 


ganyika. The eastern arm issues from 4 Zaflan 
Lacus,’ the Zambesi of some authors, and corre¬ 
sponds with the lake now called Maravi or Nyassa. 
Another branch of the 4 Nilus,’ at about 1° south of 
the Equator, flows from a smaller nameless lake, at 
the northern extremity of which is a place called 
4 Garava.’ ” Mr. Hogg suggests this to be a cor¬ 
ruption of 44 Ukewere,” meaning in the local tongue 
Island-land. Finally, the south-easternmost feeder 
proceeds from a lake, “the Barcena , which is doubt¬ 
less meant for the Baringa, for the word may also 
be written Barenca or BarengaB It is clearly the 
Bahari-Ngo, the 44 Great Sea or Water,” yet un¬ 
explored, and placed in our maps as the 44 Baringo.” 
.Dr. Beke, the traveller who deserves all praise for 
suggesting a feasible way to explore the Nile basin, 
quotes De Barr os:— 44 The Nile has its origin in a 
great lake (the Tanganyika), and after traversing 
many miles northwards it enters a very large lake 
which lies under the Equator.” This would be 
either the Bahr el Ghazal (probably the Nile of 
Herodotus), or the Luta Nzige; on the other hand, 
the Portuguese travellers were fond of distorting 
Ptolomeian geography. The same geographer, in 



THE NILE BASIN. 


47 


an admirable lecture lately printed, 0 thus records 
his matured opinion:—“Whereas in the map in¬ 
serted in the Sources of the Nile , I marked Tan¬ 
ganyika as being within the 1 not impossible ’ limits 
of the basin of the Nile, I am now inclined to place 
this lake within the probable limits of that basin, 
and to make it, in fact, the upper course of the 
Giant River of Egypt.” 

An objection to the theory that the Tanganyika 

% 

Lake drains into the Luta Nzige at once suggests 
itself, and it would be fatal if reliance could be 
placed upon it. I allude to the levels. Lake Tan¬ 
ganyika is allowed but 1844 feet. Captain Speke 
(p. 332 of the Journal of the Royal Geographical 
Society , vol. xxxiii.) argues that the Luta Nzige is 
21G1 feet, or upwards of 300 feet above the Tan¬ 
ganyika. But his boiling-point observation was made 
at Paira, a station distant from the stream; and even 
to obtain that altitude he was obliged to add the 
mean of certain differences amounting to 368 feet; 
this emendation is generally rejected by geographers. 

* On the Sources of the Nile } &c., &c., delivered in the Theatre 
of the London Institution, January 30, 1864, by Charles T. Beke, 
Esq., Phil. D., F.S.A. 


48 


THE NILE BASIN. 


During our exploration of Tanganyika the state of our 
vision would, I am convinced, explain a greater differ¬ 
ence than the fraction of a degree. Without reference 
to variation of barometric pressure, our thermometer 
had altered from first to last 1° (F.) = 535 feet. On 
our return, after the first expedition, to Konduchi, a 
harbour on the East African coast, our B. P. ther¬ 
mometer (a u bath ” or common wooden instrument) 
boiled at 214° (F.). This would give a difference of 
about 1000 feet. The Nyanza water was made 3550 
feet high by the first expedition. The second raised 
it to 3745, and made it drain by the Luchuro or 
Kitangule Fiver, u Little Lake Windermere,” which 
being placed at a figure of 3639, thus runs 106 feet 
up hill. It may also be observed that whilst the 
“Ripon Falls,” a mere salmon-leap 12 feet high, are 
placed at 3308 feet above sea-level, the u Victoria 
Nyanza ” rises 3740. Either, then, the surface of 
the supposed lake shows a difference in level of 
432, or there are two lakes, or the levels are 
worthless. 

I adduce these cases out of many, to show how 
unreliable are such approximations of altitude. It 
is, however, gratifying to find that Captain Speke 


THE NILE BASIN. 


49 


places Gondokoro, which some have raised to 1600 
and 1900 feet, at a figure of 1298, whilst Mr. Consul 
Petherick (February 25, 1863) reduced it by a mean 
of three observations to 1265. Assuming Gondo¬ 
koro, about 5° N. lat., to be even 1600 feet above 
sea-level, we still have from the head of the Tangan¬ 
yika Lake, in 3° S. lat. (8° x 60° = 480 direct 
miles), a fall of 244 feet, almost exactly six inches 
per mile. Captain Speke’s and Mr. Petherick’s ob¬ 
servations would give 550 feet, or one foot and two 
inches per mile—an ample inclination. 0 Moreover, 
the Luta Nzige is theoretically placed 1000 to 1200 
feet lower than the Nyanza Lake, that is to say, 
between 2350 and 2550 feet above sea-level, and 
the altitude has been further reduced to 2250. 

But truth to say, very little fall is required for the 
200 miles separating the Tanganyika and the Luta 
Nzige, and the want of inclination may explain the 
marshiness of “ the sort of backwater to the great 
river.” A correspondent of the Morning Advertiser 
(March 22, 1864), known to be the African geo- 


* Dr. Beke, The Sources of the Nile , pp. 30, 36, calculates the 
fall of the main stream, as high up as then known to him, to be 
less than one foot per mile throughout. 


50 


THE NILE BASIN. 


grapher, Mr. Macqueen, remarks of the Dead Locust 
Lake, “ At this point should commence the supposed 
backwater of 166 miles in length towards the 

S.S.W. But how are we to arrange the subsequent 
descent of the river beyond the northern point of 

this lake? To the point where the river is met 
with beyond Paira, 120 miles from the Karuma 
Falls, the descent is stated to be 1000 feet (say 400 
feet higher than Gondokoro), and consequently 300 
feet below the level of the north point of the Luta 
Lake. How, then, could the Nile form a backwater 
for this ? This is not thought of, nor explained. 
The fact is, that this backwater expanse was, we 
believe, made out in London in order to cobble 
something like consistency and unity, and also to 
account for the diminution of the river in magnitude, 
which they found as they advanced northwards.” 
Dr. Beke ( loc. cit ., p. 25), on the other hand, observes 
that “ Captain Speke adopted the conjecture of Dr. 
Murie, whom he met in Gondokoro.” This “ back¬ 
water ” enabled him to explain how, with a fall of 
2*5 feet per mile, the waters of the river occupied 
86 days in flowing down 200 geographical miles—in 
other words, 2*25 miles in 24 hours. 


THE NILE BASIN. 


51 


Thus, by draining the Tanganyika so as to main¬ 
tain its surface at an almost constant level, the 
meaningless backwater would resolve itself into a 
link in the lake chain, the Nili PalucJes of the 
ancients, usually placed in N. lat. 5°. They are 
called immensas paludes ,° a title which they de¬ 
serve better than the No, Nuvier, or Bahr el Ghazal. 
In Seneca’s account of the contemporary journey 
made by the two centurions despatched by Nero 
ad investigandum caput Nili about 70 years before 
Ptolemy’s day, we find that they travelled 800 to 
890 Roman miles from the well-known station, 
Meroe; that is to say, reaching N. lat. 3° or 4° (Nat 
Qucest. lib. vi. chap. 8). The two rocks from 
which the vast force of the water broke forth is 
a feature remaining to be described; it may allude 
to a rapid at the southern extremity of the Luta 
Nzigd.f 

* Why this water, being 160 to 180 miles long, should be called 
the Little LutaNzige, and where the Great one is, I am at a loss to 
determine. 

f At the cataracts of Makedo, M. De Bono learned from the 
natives that the river fell some nine perpendicular feet, and that 
four or five days south of these falls it rose from an immense lake, 
into whose other extremity a river fell. M. Lejean at first conjec¬ 
tured this to be the Nyanza. After the second expedition he pro- 


52 


THE NILE BASIN. 


The principal alterations which I would introduce 
into the map appended to Captain Speke’s paper 
(vol. xxxiii. Journal of the Royal Geographical 
Society) are as follows :— 

1. Draining Lake Tanganyika into the Luta 
Nzige. 

2. Converting the Nyanza into at least a double 
lake, the northern part fed by rivers from the 
western highlands, and the southern by small 
streams from the south to the south-east. The 
former in Captain Speke’s book appears to be 
merely a broadening of some large river, and 
thus only can we explain the phenomenon of six 
outlets in 30 geographical miles. ° He was no 

posed the Luta Nzig£, lying between the Equator and N. lat. 3°. 
(Bulletin de la Socie'te de Geographie. Cinquieme Serie, tome vi.) 

In Captain Speke’s Journal (p. 466) we find that the Waganda 
still call the “Ripon Falls” stones. 

* Within a distance of 1° the map shows three first-rate streams, 
viz., the Mwerango or Mwarango, the Luajerri, and the Napoleon 
Channel issuing from the Nyanza Lake. I believe this to be a 
physical impossibility, and the same is acknowledged by the 
Bulletin (p. 261). In p. 281 of his Journal , Capt. Speke was 
informed by “ all the men of the country” that the Mwerango 
rose “ in the hills to the southward,” or came “ from the lake • ” 
and he adopted the latter because it suited his preconceived 
opinions. 

The Westminster Review, vol. xxv. p. 315, New Series, 


THE NILE BASIN. 


53 


linguist, and we find in his Journal that the word 
Nyanza may mean the 4 4 Great Victoria Nyanza ’ ’ Lake^ 
44 a pond in the palace ” (p. 324), 44 a piece of water, 
whether a pond, river, or lake” (p. 389), or 44 the 
Nile.” It will he remembered that during his third 
expedition Captain Speke, instead of striking, as 
before, the south of the lake and coasting or march¬ 
ing along it, nowhere sighted the Nyanza waters till 
he reached Mashonde, about 50 miles south of the 
Equator, leaving wholly unnoticed 2° 15' ( = 135 
miles) between the spot where he struck the lake 
during the first expedition. Yet when returned to 
England he rejected the normal dotted line which 
shows uncertainty, and inserted in his own map the 
normal survey line, which was not adopted in the 
Journal of the Royal Geographical Society. The 
northern water was probably a widening of the great 
Kitangule River, a projection of the extensive Luchuro 
valley. We find ( Journal , p. 469) that even in the 
moment of triumph the explorer asked himself if the 

suggests that Capt. Speke, in assuming his “ Victoria Nyanza ” 
to be a single lake, was mistaken, just as were the Mombas mis¬ 
sionaries with respect to their "Djiji, or Unyamwezi Lake. I had 
not read that excellent review when the above was written. 


54 


THE NILE BASIN. 


volume of the Kitangule River was not equal to that 
of “the Nile,” and he answered the question in a 
very unsatisfactory way. He saw it at certain inter¬ 
vals as far eastward as the “ Ripon Falls ; ” but the 
“ spur of a hill ” in Kira shut out his view of the 
outlet of Napoleon Channel. His actual inspection 
of the Nyanza, then, was about 50 out of 450 miles; 
all the rest was hearsay. He travelled in the con¬ 
viction that “ the lake ” was on his right; but he never 
verified that conviction. When living with Rum- 
anika of Karagwa, at some 60 direct miles from 
“ the lake,” he did not personally assure himself of its 
existence. The King of Uganda detained him two 
months in his palace without allowing him to see 
“ the lake,” distant a five hours’ march. The offer 
made to him by King Mtesa, namely, to send him 
home in one month by a frequented route, doubtless 
through the Masai country on the east of Nyanza 
(p. 294), points to a direct road which can only be 
explained by the separation of the Nyanza into two 
or more waters. 0 So in p. 187 of Captain Speke’s 

* Captain Speke of course understood that kis informants 
meant him to strike the north-eastern side of the “Great Lake” 
at “ Uvuma ” or some such part. But the Masai, as far as I 


THE NILE BASIN. 


Journal , Irungu of Uganda expressed his surprise 
that the traveller had come all the way round to 
Uganda, when he could have taken the short, safe, 
and well-known route via Masai-land and Usoga, 
by which an Arab caravan had travelled. His 
words are, “ He (Irungu) then told me he was 
surprised that I had come all the way round to 
Uganda, when the road by the Masai country was 
so much shorter.” In p. 130 the petty chief Ma- 
kaka assures Captain Speke that “ there were two 
lakes and not oneunfortunately the hearer under¬ 
stood that the Bahari-Ngo was alluded to. In p. 
197 he mistakes the broad waters of the “Luero lo 
Urigi ” for the Nyanza itself, and gives a fabulous 
account of how the former lake had “ become a 
small swamp.” In p. 428 Murondi, who had once 
travelled to the Masai frontier, said “ It would take 
a month to go in boats from Kira to (the) Masai 
(country), where there is another Nyanza joined by a 
strait to the big Nyanza, which Mtesa’s boats 

know, inhabit part of the lands between Mombas and the 
south-eastern edge of the true Nyanza. They are bounded on the 
north by the Gallas, and are not a large tribe, being split into 
subtribes, as the Wakuafi. In Captain Speke’s Journal map he 
assigns to them far too large a territory. 


56 


THE NILE BASIN. 


frequent for salt; but the same distance could be 
accomplished in four days overland and three days 
afterwards by boat.” This suggests a very different 
form of coast line and country from that shown in 
Captain Speke’s map. In p. 333 he hears from 
“Kidi officers” of a high mountain behind the 
Asua River, and a lake navigated by the Galla 
“inhabitants” in very large vessels; but he never 
investigates the report. 

In the Journal there are many contradictions, to 
be reconciled only by supposing the upper “Vic¬ 
toria Nyanza Lake” to consist of sundry lagoons; 
and we may observe that nowhere in the cuts of the 
Journal ( e.g ., p. 390) is a sea horizon shown. For 
instance, if the waterway be continuous, how is it 
that the Usoga defeated King Mtesa’s army when a 
fleet of war canoes could have been sent? At 
Mtesa’s court, Maribu, the officer sent to fetch 
Captain Grant, said he should zoalk (about half the 
way over hills and bad land) to the mouth of the 
Katonga influent, boat it to Sese Island, where the 
local King keeps all his large vessels, and be at 
Kitangule (River) in a very short time (p. 317). 
Why should he walk if there was a way by water ? 


THE NILE BASIN. 


57 


On the north-west of the lake the “ numerous 
islands ” of the Royal Geographical Society’s 
Journal (omitted in Captain Speke’s Journal map) 
seem to be a bungling explanation of a plurality of 
waters thrown into one. The group called Sese, forty 
in number, or one (p. 399), placed (p. 276) opposite 
Kituntu, off the mouth of the Katonga River, and 
where the Uganda King keeps one of his canoe 
fleets, was admitted into the explorer’s sketch-map, 
but omitted by our Journal. The Kitiri Island 
(Blackwood r , Sept. 1859), which reappeared, mentally, 
to Captain Speke on the way to Usoga ( Journal of 
the Discovery , p. 399), and the reefs and shoals 
(have the Waganda words for these fine distinc¬ 
tions?), may be, like Ukerewe and Mazita, a mere 
peninsula. We have another mysterious island, in 
which Mgussa the African Neptune, dwells. There 
is again another island in the Nyanza, to which 
Captain Speke banished his recreant followers 
(p. 492). Lastly, in Captain Speke’s Journal map 
the south-eastern shore is “studded with islands” 
derived from “Arab information.” Project these 
“islands,” let them meet in the middle of the 
“ Great Victoria Nyanza,” and something like the 


THE NILE BASIN. 


68 

real shape of that preposterous feature will, I believe, 
be obtained. 

3. Detaching the Bahari-Ngo from the Nyanza 
waters. This reservoir (the Baharingo of M. Leon 
d’Avanchers * and Mr. Missionary Erhardt, and 
vulgarly Baringo, as written by Mr. Missionary 
Krapf, who first heard of its existence) drains the 
mass of highlands between the Equator and 3° S. lat., 
and sends forth what M. Miani, the discoverer, calls 
Ascia or Acioa, Captain Grant the Aswa, and Captain 
Speke the Usua or Asua. I believe it to be the real 
AYhite Nile, the so-called Nyanza effluents being of 
minor importance. “It is by no means improbable,” 
says M. Vaux, u that we may hereafter discover, as 
Dr. Beke has urged more than once, a source of the 
Nile in a chain of mountains to the south-east of the 
lake Nyanza—a discovery which will confirm in a 
signal manner all the essential inferences he has 
deduced from his informants ” (p. 24). In p. 598 
of Captain Speke’s Journal we are told that the 
Asua cannot issue from the Nyanza, u as its waters 

* See Journal of the Royal Geographical Society, vol. xxx. 
p. 106. Mr. Macqueen there remarks, “ M. Leon supposes this 
(Lake) to be the source of the Sebotli (Sobat), but it is more 
probable that it is the main stream of the Nile.” 



THE NILE BASIN. 


59 


were falling and not much discoloured.” Yet in his 
map he derives it from the Baliari-Ngo, and con¬ 
nects the latter with the Nyanza, directly contra¬ 
dicting himself. Only by assuming the Asua to be 
the true White Nile, and to head in highlands, can 
we account for the snows of iEschylus (/Ethiopis 
Fragm. 139, ed. Didot) and Ptolemy (ras x«>W, lib. 
iv. chap 8) with which the Moon Mountain feeds 
the two Lake Reservoirs of the Nile, and for the 
express statements of Brun-Rollet and other travellers 
who ascended the stream, all of whom trace the Nile 
from the land of the Madi up to the mountains in the 
south-east. Thus, too, can we explain the Arab 
epithet “ White ” applied to the true Nile, 0 the colour 

# The venerable priest Achoreus has still to prove his assertion 
Yana fides veterum, Nilo, quo crescat in arva 
^Ethiopum prodesse nives. 

The Bahr el Azrek, or Blue River, like the Rhone after issuing 
from the Lake of Geneva, the Tacazze, Bahr el As wad, or 
Black River (Atbara, Astaboras of Ptolemy), so called from its 
dark earthy tinge during the rains. The Bahr el Abyaz, or White 
River, may point to glacier water: a mudd y stream can hardly 
issue from a lake. This was suggested to me in the year 1857 
by Mr. Tyndall, who had long resided in Switzerland. In a 
lecture delivered before the Literary and Philosophical Society 
of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Mr. Brayley expressed the opinion 
that “ assuming snowy mountains to supply water to the Nyanza, 
that water must necessarily issue from glaciers: for, from the 


60 


THE NILE BASIN. 


of glacier water. Dr. Krapf also heard, when near 
Kenia, of a river running from the south-east and 
forming the head-waters of the Nile. Since my 
return from Zanzibar in 1860, I have never ceased 
to recommend a reconnaissance of the Nile via 
Mombas, where a march of 300 instead of 1100 
miles through an easy country, at a far less cost 
than 700CP., would give very different results from 
the “gigantic ignis fatuus ” that has lately amazed 
the public, and has reminded thoughtful men of a 
similar statement, as ecstatically made some ninety 
years ago by Abyssinian Bruce, and as unreasonably 
received by the unscientific public. 

Viewed in this light, how admirably exact in a.d. 
136 was Ptolemy the Graeco-Egyptian’s description of 
this mysterious region. His “ AW tones ’AvOpunocpayoi,” 
inhabiting the “Barbaric Gulf”—lands between 
Menuthias (Zanzibar) Island and the Mountain 
of the Moon (Kilima-njaro and its neighbours)— 
are the cannibal Wadoe. The melted snows have 
been discovered in Chhaga by Baron Carl von der 

relative properties of fluid and solid water, it is impossible for a 
body of perpetual snow—that is to say, of snow at the lower limit 
of perpetual snow—to become a body of water, without first pass¬ 
ing into the state of glacier-ice.”—Dr. Beke ( loc. cit., p. 26). 



THE NILE BASIN. 


61 


Decken and his lamented companion Mr. Thornton, 
despite all the dicta of Mr. Cooley. The name 
“Mountain (chain) of the Moon” is manifestly a 
Greek translation or adaptation of Unyamwezi, 
which Mr. Cooley still insists upon corrupting to 
“ MonomoeziR 

Ptolemy placed his chain in lat. 57° E. long, and 
12° 30' S. lat., extending latitudinally 10° (=600 
miles) to 67° E. long. The longitude, as Mr. Hogg 
very sensibly suggests, might have been computed 
from S. Antonio, and thus would answer to 
30° and 40° east of Greenwich. This includes 
the icy highlands of Chhaga, and the mass of 
mountains, Mfumbiro, Ac., to the west of the 
supposed Nyanza. I have treated this question 
at length in my Lake Regions of Central Africa 
(vol. ii. p. 178), and have not found reasons to alter 
my opinions. The older theory (see Macqueen’s 
Geographical Survey of Africa , p. 240), which 
makes the Lunar Mountains extend from Camaroons 
in 3° 40' N. lat., in an E. by N. and E.N.E. direc¬ 
tion to Guardafui, has long since been abandoned. 

As regards Ptolemy’s latitudes, it must be re¬ 
membered that he and his predecessor, Marinus of 


G2 


THE NILE BASIN. 


Tyre (the Maury of antiquity), drew their informa¬ 
tion from the logs of traders who travelled on the 
eastern coast. He places the Prom. Aromatum, 
our Guardafui, in 6° N. lat., an error of 5° 48" 50" 
too far south, that well-known cape lying in 11° 
48' 50". This misinformation touching a crucial 
station from which his departures down the East 
African coast are apparently calculated, would 
necessarily throw out his lower latitudes. Yet if 
the great water-parting be assumed to be at the head 
of the Marungu Piver, Ptolemy will have erred by 
only 2° 30', making the position 12° 30', instead of 9° 
—10° south. And as Dr. Beke (loc. cit ., p. 29) has re¬ 
marked, “The recondite Jesuit, Athanasius Kircher, 
will be found right in substance, if not in form, when 
stating, as he does in his Mundus Subterraneus 
(vol. i. p. 72 et seq .), that in the Mountains of the 
Moon is the great Hydrophylacium of Africa, the 
central point of division between the waters flowing 
to the Mediterranean, to the Atlantic, and to the 
Indian Ocean.” ° 

* Dr. Beke, as early as 1846—48, before the Snowy Alps of 
Eastern Africa, Kilima-njaro, and Kenia, were discovered, con¬ 
verted Ptolemy’s longitudinal into a meridional range of Lunar 
Mountains. I cannot believe that the learned Pelusiot made 



THE NILE BASIN. 


63 


Ptolemy also places an Eastern lake in E. long. 
G5° and S. lat. 7°, and a Western in E. long. 57° and 
S. lat. 6°, which is nearly the centre of the Tan¬ 
ganyika Lake. It must not be forgotten that some 
geographers have represented Ptolemy’s waters to 
be three: in one place (lib. iv. chap. 8) he speaks of 
them in the plural, ai tov NetAou xi\j.vai • in another 
(lib. iv. chap. 7) they are expressly stated to be two, 
dvo \mv<Zv. :; But this might refer to the two 
largest in a Lake Kegion, where for years every 
traveller will discover some fresh lacustrine feature. 
Well may Mr. Hogg—following D’Anville—con¬ 
clude : “It must, therefore, be acknowledged that 
these accounts of Ptolemy, which relate to the 
upper portion of the Nile and to the reservoir lakes 
beyond the Equator, to the head-streams of that 
mighty river, and to a range of mountains termed 
c of the Moon,’ from whence descend as well as from 
whose roots spring the waters and sources that feed 
those central lakes, are in the main correct .” I 

any such mistake ; and I find between E. long. 30° and 40°, and 
from the Equator to S. lat. 5°, a mass of peaks and highlands 
forming a remarkable sierra. 

* The Ptolemeian map in the “ Margarita Philosophica ” (A.D. 
1503) shows three distinct “ paludes Nili.” 



64 


THE NILE BASIN. 


hold Ptolemy’s Niger to be not less exactly laid 
down than his Nile, and that he knew more about it 
than Europe did before the days of Richard Lander. 
And in confidence of his sagacity I cannot but 
believe the Tanganyika to be the Western lake- 
reservoir of Father Nile. The word “source” is 
expressly avoided, in the belief, with Mr. Macqueen, 
that a lake, unless it be a mere “ eye ” of water, 
cannot be taken as the head of a river, though the 
river may issue from it. “ Lake Baikal is not the 
head of the Yenessei River, Lake Tsana is not the 
head of the Blue Nile, Lake Geneva is not the head 
of the Rhone, Lake Lausanne is not the head of 
the Rhine, Lake Superior is not the head of the 
St. Lawrence, nor Lake Winnipeg the head of the 
Saskatchewan; and so of other rivers on this 
globe.” ° 

I will conclude with a statement which to some 
may appear paradoxical, namely, that the real 
sources of the Nile—the “great Nile problem”— 
so far from being “settled for ever” by the late 
exploration, are thrown farther from discovery than 
before. They are not, we have been told, in 

* See also Dr. Beke ( loc . cit. } p. 25). 


THE NILE BASIN. 


65 


nubibus , but they elude our vision. The explo¬ 
ratory labours of years, perhaps of a whole gene¬ 
ration, must be lavished before even a rough survey 
of the southern Nilotic basin can treat the subject 
with approximate correctness of detail. “ Mais les 
sources du Nil, sont-elles decouvertes ? ” enquires 
our fellow-labourer in the field of geographical 
science, M. V. A. Malte Brun. “ Nous ne le croyons 
jpas" No geographar does, no geographer can, be¬ 
lieve in the actual “ settlement ” of the Nile Sources. 
That the Tanganyika is the Western “top head’’ 
or reservoir—not source —of the Great Nile, and 
that the Bahari-Ngo, which supplies the Tubiri, is 
the Eastern, I have little doubt. But the Arcanum 
Magnum of Old-World Geography has not yet been 
solved. The venerable lines— 

“ Arcanum Natura caput non prodidit ulli; 

Non licuit populis parvum te, Nile, videre,” 

have gained rather than have lost significancy. It 
still remains to this generation, as to its forefathers, 
“ Caput quserere Nili ”—to close the Canon of Geo¬ 
graphical Discovery. 




































. . 


























































































. «■ 








’ / 



























































■* *■ • * * -»• r -.A . 












^ tar fords. Geogf £'stab - L ondon. 




















































PART II. 


CAPTAIN SPEKE’S DISCOVERY OE THE 
SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


No. I.—INTRODUCTORY. 

Towards the close of last summer, Captain Speke, 
with true Oriental authority,’ 3 announced that the 
source of the Nile was in the clouds, but forbade 
any one to attempt to seek out the particular point 
until Blackwood had told the world where that point 
was to be found. This remarkable announcement 
destroyed at once all claim to priority of discovery, 
because Homer told us 2500 years ago of the 

“ Stream of the Jove-descended Nile,” 

which came from that sovereign’s dominions amongst 
the clouds. Homer also tells us that Jupiter, with 

* Journal of the Discovery of the Source of the Nile. By Captain 
Speke.—William Blackwood and Sons. 




68 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


liis licentious and profligate Olympian household 
train, yearly visited Upper Ethiopia, and spent twelve 
days in each visit in licentious revelry, drinking 
nectar, or the “pombe” of those remote regions. 
The actual point of Jove’s sojourn in that quarter 
had to this day escaped the researches of mankind, 
until Captain Speke, amongst other strange dis¬ 
coveries and pictures made by him, has shown as 
clear as a pikestaff that it was in the capital of the 
kingdom of Uganda, then, as now, ruled by a King 
Mtesa, where licentiousness and profligacy prevail to 
an unlimited extent, and where the court and people 
do little else but prepare and drink “ pornbe,” e 
“flirting” with ladies, and stealing queens’ hearts, 
as Speke says they do. Amongst such Jupiter 
would readily find a kindred society, their revelries 
commencing then, as now, with “ uproarious ” 
banquets, and terminating with the fresh flowing' 

* Pombe. —This is a beverage made from the banana. It is a 
most delicious fruit, contains a large quantity of saccharine matter; 
and a drink or beer, when fermented and brewed from it, must be 
very strong. So delicious is the fruit, we verily believe that, if 
the gentlemen in Downing-street once tasted it, they would send 
Captain Speke to conquer Uganda to obtain it. Even Mn Williams 
and the Chancellor of the Exchequer himself would vote an 
increase to the income tax to procure it. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 69 


cup to settle their squabbles. But of this country 
we shall have more to say by-and-by. In the 
meantime, we thank Captain Speke for deciding the 
above points along with his other discoveries, pro¬ 
bably equally certain. 

Blackwood having spoken out as strongly as its 
author dictated, we beings of the lower sphere, 
considering that the interdict has been removed, 
may now reverently and humbly approach the sub¬ 
ject proclaimed by the same authority to be of the 
highest importance, and equally the property of all 
kindreds and tongues, to examine calmly and 
minutely the narrative. Captain Speke can surely 
neither feel surprise nor take offence at such an 
examination. At the outset we must observe that 
it is Captain Speke only who speaks, and who tells 
us that he alone is qualified or to be allowed to 
speak on this subject; nay, he goes further, and 
says that no one will be allowed to dispute anything 
he has stated until they go to those distant parts 
and look at them with their own eyes ! Till this is 
done, which will probably be some time, Captain 
Speke will enjoy his full triumph. 

The work throughout is Ego et Bex meus , a 


TO DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

spirit which in our humble opinion confers neither 
credit nor respect upon the author or the work. 

When we come to the geographical details of the 
great volume we will show how little remained 
unknown about the source of the Nile before Captain 
Speke ever thought of looking after it. In the 
meantime we observe that the publishers, Messrs. 
Blackwood and Sons, have, with their well-known 
abilities and resources, furnished us with a really 
good book, as a book—good paper, clear and legible 
type (a blessing to our eyes who have so much poor 
printing to wade through), together with many 
curious and well-executed sketches of Africans in 
their various and ludicrous attitudes and proceed¬ 
ings. Regarding the map, we may be permitted to 
observe that the less that is said about it the better. 
Mr. Keith Johnston has doubtless executed it as he 
was instructed and commanded. The paper on 
which it is printed will, however, not stand much 
handling, a matter which is to be regretted. Speke 
might have brought something tougher from the 
Nile head, if he had found it out. 

We now proceed forthwith to the book itself, and, 
in limine , we must observe that there were others 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 71 

connected with Speke’s expedition—for his expedi¬ 
tion he claims it to be. Foremost of the assistants 
on the original plan was that energetic individual, 
Consul Petherick. Captain Speke has incautiously 
and spitefully attacked him in the most ungenerous 
manner. This gentleman’s case forms a most 
material portion of the whole subject, and Pethe¬ 
rick’s proceedings require to be cleared up and 
faithfully placed before the public. To do this will 
require more time and room than we could have 
wished to take. To avoid, however, every possi¬ 
bility of any charge of unfair suppression or misre¬ 
presentation of any portion of this part of the 
subject being made against us, we must have 
recourse to the full evidence of Captain Speke 
himself, and to the proceedings of the Royal Geo¬ 
graphical Society in reference to the expedition 
placed by them under his charge. If in doing this 
we show a great failure of memory on the part 
of Speke in matters well known, or that could have 
readily been ascertained by him, we may justly be 
allowed to suspect the candour and plain dealing in 
other parts of his narratives and discoveries. 
Having done this fairly, we shall then allow Consul 


72 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Petlierick and liis heroic and devoted wife, who 
accompanied him up the Nile, to speak for them¬ 
selves, through documents which have been placed 
at our disposal, and which, if we mistake not, will 
demand Captain Speke’s serious attention. 

We now beg the reader’s special attention to the 
dates and narratives of the different parties con¬ 
cerned in the proceedings under review. 

Captain Speke tells us (Proceedings of the Royal 
Geographical Society , vol. x., p. 89), March 24th, 
1859, that “he had consequent]}" proposed to Mr. 
Petlierick to make a combined advance simul¬ 
taneously with him on those tribes which are on the 
north of the Lake and due south of Gondokoro, and 
that Mr. Petlierick had assented to co-operate with 
him; and as so much depended upon the security, or 
otherwise, of the undertaking, he hoped that that 
gentleman would receive the same support from the 
Government that he had done.” Petlierick, who 
was present, stated that, “ although he was engaged 
in trade, and had five or six establishments to look 
after,” yet, “ he would not allow his friend to remain 
in the lurch while it was in his power to relieve 
him.” It was May, 1859, that Speke’s expedition was 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 73 

finally arranged. “ Much about that time,” says he, 
“ Petherick, an ivory merchant, who had spent many 
years on the Nile, arrived in England and gratui¬ 
tously offered, as it would not interfere with his 
trade, to place boats at Gondokoro, and send a 
party of men up the White Nile ,”— 11 eventually to 
assist me on coming down.” “ Mr. Petherick showed 
a great zeal for geographical exploits; so, as I could 
not get money enough for all I intended to accom¬ 
plish, I drew up a plan for him to ascend the Usua 
Piver ” (supposed to be the chief tributary), “ and 
did my best, through the medium of Earl de Grey 
and Pipon, then president of the Poyal Geographical 
Society, to advance money to carry out these 
desirable objects,” 

Captain Speke shortly after this left England on 
his mission, but he had hardly done so when it was 
found out, as it ought at first to have been, that 
there were only two months in the year that vessels 
could move on the river, if river there was in that 
part of Africa, so it became necessary to make an 
arrangement for more safe and certain assistance. 

The first plan proposed by Petherick (not by 
Speke) to the Royal Geographical Society, July 



74 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

lltli, 1859 ( Proceedings , vol iv., pp. 223, 224,) 
which Speke alludes to and says (p. 608), “ It would 
have been well for us both had he stuck to,” was to 
place three well-armed boats at the base of the 
cataracts, beyond Gondokoro, by November, 1861, 
for the sum of 2000/. This sum the Government 
would not give. How’, then, could Petherick have 
stuck to it? As an alternative, he then proposed 
for the sum of 1000/. “ to place two well-provisioned 
and armed boats, under the superintendence of one 
of my own men, on whose integrity I could con¬ 
fidently depend, to await the arrival of the expe¬ 
dition at the above-named cataracts, from 1861, 
until June, 1862.” This latter plan, of which Captain 
Speke Avas perfectly cognisant, was from necessity 
adopted by the parties concerned, and especially the 
Eoyal Geographical Society, June 11th, 1860, to 
aid the object (. Proceedings , vol. iv., p. 222), “ de¬ 
parted from their usual rules, and headed a subscrip¬ 
tion with 100/. towards defraying the expenses;” 
justly adding, that “ Petherick could scarcely be 
expected to do it at his own expense.” Indeed, he 
had previously told them (p. 225), “ single-handed, 
I had not the means to achieve it.” The 100/. that 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


75 


Speke says lie got Earl Ripon to advance Petherick 
was no doubt the 100/. subscription here mentioned 
as from the Royal Geographical Society. 

It may here be advisable to bring forward the 
names of a few of the subscribers, &c., to the fund 
adverted to ( Proceedings , vol. iv., p. 417), thus:— 

Royal Geographical Society . . £100 

Foreign Office . . . 100 

William Speke . . . .100 

Consul Petherick . . . . 50 

with many of the personal friends of the latter. 

At the meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, 
November, 1861, it was announced that a subscrip¬ 
tion was decided on for the object, because the 
Government had declined to make any further 
grant ( Proceedings , vol. v., p. 222). Speke knew 
this, but says not one word about it. The subscrip¬ 
tion was set on foot accordingly. The agreement 
between Petherick and the Society was made Feb. 
6th and 8th, 1861 ( Proceedings , vol. x., p. 60), and 
was, in substance, that Consul Petherick undertakes, 
u in consideration of the receipt of £1000 towards 
the expedition up the Nile, to place two well-armed 


70 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

boats during 1861 at Gondokoro, it being further 
understood that in the event of Captain Speke not 
having arrived at that time at Gondokoro, Consul 
Petherick shall not be bound to remain beyond June 
1862.” On the 8th July, 1861, the subscription 
had reached the sum of £1166 7s. ( Proceedings , 
vol. v., p. 43), and the instructions for his guidance 
given to Petherick (July 8th, 1861), in a note, we 
find as follows:— u You will then, in the event of 
Captain Speke not haying arrived before July, 
1862, leave a trustworthy person, with sufficient 
provisions, in charge of the boats ; the maintenance 
of these until June, 1862, being of primary impor¬ 
tance.” “ The President and Council do not 
attempt to lay down any limit to this explanation,” 
and adding “ fully trusting to your known zeal and 
energy, feel assured that you will do all in your 
power to effect the above-mentioned object without 
serious loss to the party under your command. In 
entrusting you with the sum which has been sub¬ 
scribed for this purpose, the President and Council, 
considering themselves accountable to the subscribers 
for its proper expenditure, will require an account of 
all disbursements.” Further, “ the President and 



DISCOVER F OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 77 

Council take this opportunity of expressing their 
admiration at the spirit of enterprise which has 
induced you to undertake this enterprise; which has 
induced you, at great personal risk and considerable 
pecuniary loss, to undertake the charge of this expe¬ 
dition, and they hope, under God’s providence, that 
you may not only succeed,” &c. 

Captain Speke’s serious charges—serious, but 
unjust, charges—against Consul Petherick, made in 
the concluding pages of his book, began at and 
from his arrival at Gondokoro. He says, p. 603, 
“ But what has become of Petherick? He was 
trading at Niambara, 70 miles due west of this, 
though he had, since I left him in England, raised a 
subscription of £1000 from those of my friends to 
whom this Journal is respectfully dedicated as the 
smallest return a grateful heart can give for their 
attempt to succour me on knowing the fate of the 
expedition was in great jeopardy. Arrived at 
Gondokoro, our first inquiry was, of course, for 
Petherick. A mysterious silence ensued. We 
were then informed that Debono was the man we 
had to thank for the assistance we had received in 
coming from Madi, and then in hot haste, after 


78 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

exchanging greetings with Mahomet’s friend, who 
was Debono’s agent here, we took leave of him to 
hunt up Petherick,”—but instead of him they found 
Mr. Baker. 

This Debono, or as Mr. Baker in derision calls 
him, “ that estimable British subject,” was soon 
afterwards caught by Petherick carrying slaves 
down the river, and we believe sent by him in irons 
to Cairo, where he and his companions, making 
themselves to be Turks instead of Maltese, were, we 
believe, soon liberated by order of the British 
Government. 

At this particular moment, says Speke, evidently 
in high spirits, “ My men begged for some clothes, 
as Petherick, they said, had a store for me under the 
charge of his Vakil. The storekeeper was then 
called, and confirming the story of my men, I begged 
of him to give me what was my own. It turned 
out that the whole was Petherick’s, but he had 
ordered to give me on account everything I wanted. 
This being settled, I took ninety-five yards of the 
commonest stuff as a makeshift for mosquito curtains 
for my men, besides four sailors’ shirts for my head 
man. Almost immediately Petherick and his wife, 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 79 

accompanied by Dr. Murie, made their appearance, 
but with no welcome greetings like those given to 
the slave-traders’ agent, when he (Petherick) told 
me he had brought a number of men carrying ivory, 
for the purpose now of seeking me on the east bank 
of the Nile by following its course to the south 
(what, carry ivory up to the head of the Nile?), 
though he had given up all hope of seeing me. He 
then offered me his dyaber , as well as anything else 
I wanted that lay within his power to give.” The 
cold sarcastic reply was that Baker had supplied 
him with everything, and that “lie had and to spare.” 
“ Yet, at his urgent request, I (Speke) took a few 
more yards of cloth for my men, and some cooking 
fat; and though I offered to pay, he declined to 
accept any return at my hands ” (p. 607). He then 
also tells that u he separated from Grant at Kazeh 
(Jan., 1861), hurried from Uganda and his dear 
female friends there, solely to keep faith with him; ” 
and amongst other things, said that he felt much 
annoyed at the disappointments Petherick had 
brought upon him; and, moreover, that everybody 
told him that Petherick could have gone to Faloro, 
and proceeded south from that place, had his trade 


80 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

on the west of the Nile not attracted him there (p. 
603). Now, as Speke could not come down the 
Nile in boats, how was Petherick, with his boats, to 
go up it, over the various cataracts, and through 
districts without food ? Speke does not condescend 
to show this. 

A few words are here necessary to show the error 
which the Poyal Geographical Society committed in 
so hastily taking the mission out of Petherick’s 
hands ( Proceedings , vol. iv., p. 19). Mr. Galton, 
their present African guide, stated that the Nyambara, 
to which Petherick had gone, was the district where 
he had last been, or 300 miles further west. Mr. 
Baker rashly adopted the same opinion ( Proceedings , 
vol. vii., p. 78, Khartoum, Nov. 24th, 1862). Had 
this been true, it would have been a great breach of 
faith ; but it was not so, but arose from the ignorance 
of what the name or word Niams, or Niam Niam, 
means. It is used by the trading and travelling 
Moslems to designate by way of reproach all the 
Southern Pagan population of Africa that are Pagans 
and asserted to be canibals, from the Nile to the 
sources of the Niger, and is used as a plea of justifi¬ 
cation for their invading, catching, and making them 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 81 


slaves, it being held by Mabomedans as a sure pass¬ 
port to Paradise to catch a heathen and compel him 
to be a slave or to adopt the tenets of Islamism. 

Considering all these authentic details, it is 
evident that Captain Speke’s memory is very bad 
and sadly at fault. We have dwelt upon them at 
much length, because if we find such errors in 
matters v r ell known to him, or that could so readily 
have been ascertained, it cannot fail to raise doubts 
in the minds of observers about the author’s accuracy 
on other grave points, especially so in those where 
his statements are clearly based upon foregone con¬ 
clusions. In our opinion, not much reliance can be 
placed on statements made by such biassed authority. 
The questions also under consideration are public 
property ; the parties engaged in them are public 
servants, and it is therefore absolutely necessary to 
know who should be believed when anything is 
wrong, or appears to be wrong. We have it now 
under Captain Speke’s own hand, that he did obtain 
supplies at Gondokoro, sent there by Petherick’s 
forethought, about one year before he reached that 
place; and we shall presently, from incontrovertible 
evidence, learn that Petherick had furnished further 


82 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

most abundant supplies, placed ready at the same 
place before Speke reached it, and that this was 
known to him when he made the culpable accusa¬ 
tions that he has done. 

Let us attend to dates. The last-mentioned 
transaction with Petherick took place at Gondokoro, 
on the 18th February, just three days after Speke 
and Grant had reached that jDlace. 

Captain Speke left England on his last mission, 
April, 1860. He reached and started from the 
African coast, opposite Zanzibar, on October 1st of 
the same year. Two or three months later we find 
him at Kazeh, with all his supplies exhausted. On 
the same authority (President’s Address, May 27th, 
1861), we find him near Kazeh on September 30th, 
1861, with his supplies replenished. On the 7th 
February, 1862, he reached Uganda, and on the 15th 
February, 1863, he reached Gondokoro, having in 
two years and a half travelled by land in direct lines 
about 1300 geographical miles ; but eighteen months 
after himself and the wiseheads in London had fixed 
that he could be, and should be. 

Consul Petherick, on the other hand, left England 
on his auxiliary mission in May or June, 1861, and 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 83 


after a detention of six weeks at Korsoko, on the 
great bend of the Nile, for want of camels and by 
sickness, lie readied Khartoum, from whence, on 
the 18th of November, 18G1, he despatched two 
boats with expert explorers and supplies for Speke, 
both of which boats reached Gondokoro in regular 
time. He himself proceeded with four other hired 
boats, such as he could pick out, for the same 
destination. On the 30th of March he reached the 
country of the Shilluks, and on the 7th of April the 
mouth of the Sobat, in about 9° 11' N. lat., and not, 
as Speke says (p. 603), in lat. 7° N., where he was 
encountered by the foul south winds, which checked 
his progress, and which was attended with all those 
disastrous delays and fatal consequences which are 
already partly known, but presently to be more 

particularly alluded to. As one instance of the 

/ 

delay thus occasioned, he took seven days to reach 
Lake No, or Nuvier, from the Sobat, which in a 
former voyage, and at the proper season, he had 
performed in one day. 

Consul Petherick, finding it was impossible for him 
to proceed at that time by the river, left it and pro¬ 
ceeded by land to Mouson, the capital of Nyambara, 


84 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

a former commercial depot of his. His journey by 
land was almost as difficult and dangerous as that by 
the river, occupying about two months in a distance 
of about 70 miles. There he abode till the beginning 
of February, 1863, on account of the season, but 
more on account of bad health amongst his party. 
He sent his old boats back to Khartoum, with par¬ 
ticular instructions to send up immediately three 
more well armed and manned, with abundance of 
supplies for Speke and his party, according as such 
might be required. To meet this large outlay he 
collected, at much inconvenience, all his ready 
available property, amounting from 3000/. to 4000/. 
These three fresh boats and their supplies, we learn 
from Mr. Baker, Khartoum, Nov. 8, 1862 ( Proceed¬ 
ings, vol. vii., p. 49), were then nearly ready to 
depart, and would leave Khartoum with his force on 
the 12th of December. They all left December 
13th, the united force consisting of six boats and 
200 armed men. They reached Gondokoro on the 
1st of February, two weeks before Speke reached 
that place. Petherick expressly tells that when he 
reached Gondokoro on the 18th of February, he 
found, besides what his two early boats brought up, 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 85 


another boat that left Khartoum with himself and 
the three last alluded to, and that left with Baker. 

The letter from Petherick above alluded to was 
transmitted by Petherick’s brother-in-law to Sir 
Roderick Murchison, the worthy and respected 
President of the Royal Geographical Society. At 
his particular request the portion we are about to 
quote was struck out, he, with his characteristic 
good feeling, wishing to preserve peace amongst 
those explorers, and probably also, at the time, con¬ 
sidering it impossible that Captain Speke could have 
acted as he has done. Speke’s unguarded publica¬ 
tion must, if we mistake not, give Sir Roderick both 
annoyance and pain ; but it may also teach him that 
all men are not so straightforward and honest as 
himself. The part of the letter struck out com¬ 
mences after the words in the Athenaeum , “ effected 
according to their own account with trifling diffi¬ 
culties to themselves ” thus :— 

“It is with much regret I have to notice Speke’s 
coolness and ill-treatment of us. He would or 
could not understand the difficulties and sacrifices 
we had put ourselves to, to meet him; and having 
helped himself from our stores to sundry blue cloth 


G 



8G DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

and other indispensable necessaries for the clothing 
of his men prior to our arrival, he heaped insult to 
injury upon us by refusing our boats and provisions, 
preferring those of Mr. Samuel Baker, then present, 
notwithstanding our representation that the whole 
had been paid for, and were expected to supply him 
with every necessary. 

“ Grant was throughout the gentleman , but Speke 
I shall never forgive. Our engagement to meet him, 
he said, had virtually expired in July, 1862, and he 
now would purchase any article he required. How 
indignantly this was refused you may imagine; but 
the crowning piece of all his ill-temper w^as the 
ignoring of my expedition, ending with the inquiry 
as to whom he had proposed it! He was, however, 
rather astonished at my repartee, that my meeting 
him was proposed by himself, and his letter to that 
effect was still, doubtless, preserved by the Council 
of the Geographical Society. His jealousy was so 
aggravated as to lead him to declare he required 
no succour dodge! Although he had had ample 
experience of the violences, robbery, and slave kid¬ 
napping propensities of the traders to the aborigines, 
he was dumb upon the subject; but when I stated 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 87 


that—travelling through districts long ruined by 
them, and where the natives would not employ 
themselves as porters for anything short of a cow 
or bullock each, and that far in the interior we 
could neither return nor advance without them— 
our men had joined a party of traders in a razzia 
to supply us with the needful cattle, and restore 
some sixty head already borrowed from a trader 
for former negro services, Speke would make 
no allowance for our peculiar circumstances or the 
alacrity of our men (although much against our 
will) to pay the negroes out for former wanton 
assaults against ourselves; and I will not be sur¬ 
prised that Speke and Baker, hand in glove, will 
make some ill-natured remark on the subject at 
home. However, as nothing that has transpired 
will be withheld from the public, with a clear con¬ 
science I will willingly abide their decision.” 

In a subsequent letter he says :— 

“ To add insult to injury flesh and blood cannot 
bear it; and while not wishing to depreciate the 
labours of others, I am determined to maintain my 
own.” 

In a very plain letter, from Consul Petherick, 

a 2 







88 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

dated Balir el Ghazal, May 12, 1863, and which 
appears, though not at full length, in a contempo¬ 
rary of great circulation and high authority ( The 
AthencEum of Aug. 29,1863), we have a full account 
of the dangers and difficulties that Petherick had to 
encounter in his endeavour to reach Gondokoro, and 
during which voyage, as Mr. Baker admits, they 
had lost nearly all their valuable supplies by damage 
and shipwreck. But distressing as this narrative is, 
it is still far below the sad evils which the journal of 
his heroic wife, placed in our hands for perusal, has 
given of the voyage. Cold, callous, and unfeeling 
must the head and the heart of any reasonable 
being be, who can peruse either without the bitterest 
sorrow. Of the chief facts contained therein Cap¬ 
tain Speke must have been well acquainted, as Dr. 
Murie, who was one of the sufferers, no doubt told 
him at Gondokoro. It is therefore almost in¬ 
credible that, in the face of such facts, and 
in possession of the knowledge of all matters 
connected with these events as we have shown 
him to have been, and the statements in his own 
pages, he could have brought the cruel and un¬ 
founded charges against Consul Petherick that he 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 89 

lias done, and imply, as it would appear, that all 
the difficulties and wilful delays which he had en¬ 
countered were owing to the misconduct of Petherick 
alone. 

Independent of the testimony of Petherick we 
have the certain testimony of Speke and Baker that 
abundant supplies and aid had reached Gondokoro 
before Speke did, but of this and the voyage of 
Petherick’s three boats which accompanied Baker, 
neither he nor Speke take the slightest notice. This 
is most reprehensible. Those supplies, consisting of 
many things, such as beer, wine, rice, soup, pearl 
barley, Le Mann’s biscuits, a gutta percha boat, &c., 
were sold to the Dutch ladies, who were not a little 
rejoiced to find such luxuries there, and they enjoyed 
them famously (. Proceedings , vol. vii., p. 14, Nov. 
23rd, 1863). Moreover, Colonel Bigby, late Consul 
at Zanzibar, told the Royal Geographical Society, 
Nov. 24, 1862, and he is a very competent judge, 
that it was fortunate that Petherick did not get to 
Gondokoro sooner, as, if he had, it would have been 
injurious to Speke’s progress. He also told them at 
the same time about the dreadful famine that raged 
over all Eastern Tropical Africa at the time Speke 


CO DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

and Grant entered it, so that ten able-bodied slaves 
were purchased for one bullock. 

Consul Petherick has, therefore, in every way, 
clearly fulfilled his agreement with the Eoyal Geo¬ 
graphical Society, and it is with them only that he 
has to do as regards the subscription fund. He has 
done more than he even agreed to do. He received 
the sum of £1000 out of that fund. Mrs. Pethe- 
rick’s journal confirms this, and Dr. Murie, who 
made out the account, can tell, if he has not already 
told, the subscribers to the fund that a larger sum 
was actually expended at the very outset at Khar¬ 
toum. The balance, therefore, whatever that may 
be, belongs to Petherick until his expenses are liqui¬ 
dated down to the time that the expedition was 
unguardedly, and, as we think, ungenerously taken 
from his hands and given to Mr. Baker, whose 
appearance on the scene so suddenly is somewhat 
remarkable. Moreover, as the Society did not limit 
the extent and time of this auxiliary force, it is, we 
presume, legally liable for the additional expenditure 
that Petherick has incurred. Instead of Speke call¬ 
ing upon Petherick to account for his intermission, 
lie must call upon Baker for his, when we shall see 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 91 

wliat Speke’s further expenses have been, and what 
Baker has been paid, and which, whatever they were, 
he has bound himself to pay, if exceeding the sum 
of £2800—£2500 from the British Government, and 
£300 from the Government of the Cape of Good 
Hope. 

It was not Petherick who gratuitously offered 
himself for this expedition, but Speke, as we have 
seen, who proposed it to him and the Society. 
This fund also was not collected, as Speke says it 
was, for extricating him and his expedition from 
failure, when his friends in England became informed 
of the difficulties that he had encountered. Pethe¬ 
rick put £1000 of it in his pocket, and at Khartoum, 
months before, Speke’s friends heard of his difficul¬ 
ties ; and when they did hear of this it was with the 
account that it required only to have his supplies 
replenished to enable him to go on. Moreover, the 
fund was obtained, not for the purpose of aiding him 
in his southern travels, but to afford him assistance 
in his descent of the Upper Nile after he had reached 
that part of his journey, and to aid him in going 
down the Nile from Gondokoro to Egypt. 

Captain Speke’s difficulties, great as they were, 


92 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

and we do not wish to underrate them, might in our 
opinion have been greatly lessened, if not altogether 
prevented, by common prudence and proper caution, 
good temper and patience. So also ought the proper 
funds to have been obtained in this country by those 
who planned and got up this expedition. Gentlemen 
in England seem to have no idea of the expenses of 
even ordinary travelling in this portion of Africa. 
The Dutch ladies, so repeatedly heard of, are spend¬ 
ing at the rate of £6000 per annum ; and Speke 
tells us that the urgency of his demand for porters 
and supplies obliged him to offer “ three times ” the 
wages that the merchants were wont to give, or 
could afford to give. Speke, as Captain Grant 
informs us, replenished his stores and supplies from 
Arab traders in the interior at the rate of 1600 
per cent. In other places the natives demand a 
bullock now instead of a few beads as formerly for 
the same labour. Thus the money goes, and all 
this shows that the people, rude as they are, yet 
retain some glimmerings of common sense, and so 
far as to know that as labour and property come 
more and more into demand they ought to obtain 
more for both. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 03 


We are far from wishing to cast blame on any 
party for the delays and difficulties that have taken 
place in this African expedition; but at the same 
time it is right to show that the person most liable to 
censure is Captain Speke, who was much more beyond 
his set time in coming to a given point. Here Consul 
Petherick was not to blame. The greatest error of 
the latter was that he attempted at too late a period 
in the season to push on to Gondokoro, just as 
Speke selected a most improper season for his expe¬ 
dition, and the route that he took to carry out his 
object. The Sultan of Zanzibar told him his proper 
road was from Mombas, where 300 miles, instead of 
1100 miles, would bring him in sight of the Nile 
head, and through a country by no means difficult 
or barren. This error was Speke’s, and the road 
was of his selection, and we hope that what has 
taken place will tend to prevent the Royal Geogra¬ 
phical Society from committing such another blunder 
in future. 

The sufferings of Consul Petherick and his wife, 
who accompanied him in this unhappy journey, have 
indeed been severe. On the report of their death, 
eagerly circulated in Egypt and in Europe by their 


94 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

bitter enemies the African slave-traders, who told 
lies to injure him, Petherick’s credit was completely 
stopped. All letters from their European friends 
and correspondents were detained, and left unheeded 
in the office of the British Consul-General for Egypt 
at Cairo, so that for many months, and even down 
to the latest period, they were left wholly ignorant 
of what was passing in England against them; 
while, be it remarked, every communication ad¬ 
dressed to Mr. Baker was carefully forwarded. An 
established business, the labour of many years, has 
been nearly if not wholly ruined, the health of him¬ 
self and his talented wife, it may be said, totally 
destroyed, so that to attend to any business is out of 
the husband’s power; while at the same time his 
office as Consul in that part of Africa runs the 
greatest risk of being cut off; as it may appear to 
our Government that in such a country the duties of 
a British Consul and the business of a merchant are 
incompatible with each other. At Khartoum it was 
publicly stated that his life would be taken by assas¬ 
sination on the part of the vindictive slave-traders. 
The Royal Geographical Society, and also the 
Foreign Office, acted, very wrong to press and to 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE R T ILE. 95 

encourage Petlierick to take the charge of such an 
expedition; while he himself acted equally wrong 
and unguarded by accepting such a charge for such 
a low sum, and without a specific guarantee from 
both that all proper expenses incurred should be 
made good to him whatever the result of the work 
was. Fine promises, plaudits, and praises made in 
the Royal Geographical Society’s meetings will not 
butter parsnips, nor avert the poverty from the 
Consul and his family which may be the result of 
this ill-starred expedition. These ill-used individuals 
most unquestionably deserve, and ought to obtain, 
something more than pity and commiseration from 
the quarters mentioned, instead of the reproaches 
and insults launched against them from any one or 
from any quarter recognised by these parties ; while 
no compensation that either can give can compensate 
the losses and anguish that the Consul and his wife 
have suffered. 

Before concluding this portion of our subject, and 
entering upon the geographical, commercial, and 
political portions of the work before us, w^e would 
forcibly observe, and draw the attention of all parties 
interested in the matter to the fact, that the passport 



96 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

for the passage of Speke and Grant through the 
remote and unstable and grasping interior of that 
division of Africa was in the promises lavishly made 
by Speke of the great presents and wealth that the 
chiefs would receive as soon as he met Petherick, 
his servant and subordinate, to obtain all the fine 
things that he was bringing forward for him to give 
to them. We cannot find that one step has been 
taken by Speke to redeem his promises of payment 
to those chiefs for aid given^and for courtesies shown 
by these great men. On the contrary, we find Mr. 
Baker, the deputy for them, instead of going south 
and south-west as we were told he meant to do in 
order to gain the shores of Nyanza, has gone to the 
south-east and east from Gondokoro, in quite a 
different direction. This change and forgetfulness 
of promises brings to our remembrance the adage, 
“ out of sight out of mind ; ” but which neglect and 
omission may result in unfavourable consequences to 
any future traveller from England or British India, 
who may think of completing what Speke has 
certainly left undone. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 97 


t 


No. II.—MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 

Before entering upon the geographical, political, 
and commercial portion of the volume, it appears 
advisable to advert to the subject of the life, man¬ 
ners, and customs of some of the tribes of these in¬ 
terior portions of Africa, who are represented to us 
as more polished than ourselves, and as equal to 
our gay neighbours on the other side of the Chan¬ 
nel. We shall in this be as short as possible, and, 
as far as decency will admit it, make the narrative 
clear. Two States, Karagwe and Uganda, may 
be deemed sufficient for the purpose mentioned. 
Speke seems to have a peculiar delight in dwelling 
upon such subjects, and also as showing off his 
great knowledge and research in antique lore 
in his new and remarkable theories and re¬ 
ferences. 

We take Karagwe first. This is a very hilly 
country, the hills extending to the shores of the 
lake, or supposed lake. The chief or king, Ruma- 
nika, is a frank outspoken fellow, and has evidently 
more in him than Speke himself is willing to allow. 




98 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

His people and himself have no knowledge of God 
or of a human soul; man and the bullock in this 
respect standing on an equal footing. Marriage is a 
mere question of money. A man accused is imme¬ 
diately torn to pieces ; if the accused endeavour to 
plead his defence, his voice is at once drowned, and 
the miserable victim dragged off in the roughest 
manner to death. Rumanika warned Speke that 
as he went forward “ he must not expect to find 
again a reasonable man like myself,” and soon 
after increases the compliment by eulogising Speke 
(p. 241) thus, “ without doubt he had never seen 
such a wise man as myself.” This amiable and 
polished king, in respect for his father’s (Dagara) 
memory, instead of putting his body “ under ground, 
the people erected a hut over him, and thrusting 
in five maidens and fifty cows, enclosed the door¬ 
way in such a manner that the whole of them sub¬ 
sequently died of pure starvation” (p. 221). Ruma¬ 
nika has five wives, milk drinkers, and fatted up like 
the following lady, the wife of his brother. We 
must give this precious j)iece of information in 
Speke’s words, as he seems to delight and excel 
in such exhibitions. An agreement w T as quickly 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 99 


made with the lady. Speke was to obtain a good 
view of her naked, and then to measure her, upon a 
like reciprocity on his part. After getting her “ to 
sidle and wriggle into the midst of the hut, I did as I 
promised.” With bare limbs and shirt sleeves well 
tucked up, Speke began his measuring and, as he 
called it, u engineering” process, thus :—Round the 
arm, 1 ft. 11 in. ; chest, 4 ft. 4 in.; thickest part of 
the thigh, 2 ft. 7 in. ; calf, 1 ft. 8 in.; height, 
5 ft. 8 in. The height, we are told, is not quite 
certain, because he could not get her laid upon the 
floor ; “ yet, after infinite exertions on the part of us 
both, this was accomplished, when she sank down 
again,” &c. “ Reside her sat her daughter, a lass of 

sixteen, stark naked, sucking at a milk-pot, on which 
her father kept her at work by holding a rod in his 
hands.” “ I got up a bit of a flirtation with Missy, 
and induced her to rise and shake hands with me. 
Her features were lovely, but her body was as round 
as a ball.” 

We believe none, of our readers ever met with or 
ever heard of such a piece of “ engineering ” as 
this, and we dare say will never wish to meet with 
such another. 




100 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Captain Speke, in a long and learned disquisi¬ 
tion, tries to prove from the Bible that Zerah, 
the Ethiopian, was one of the chief progenitors of 
the Wahuma, in Karagwe and Uganda; and that 
the Rumanika and his family, and also the Wa- 
ganda, were the lineal descendants of the great 
Jewish King David, “ whose hair,” Captain Speke 
assures this black African monarch, “ was as 
straight as his (Speke’s) own.” That they all 
were one family with the Abyssinians, with whose 
king, Saliela Selasseh, Queen Victoria had ex¬ 
changed presents. Now, Saliela Selasseh was 
merely, and yesterday only, the king of Shoa, a 
revolted province of Abyssinia, and not the great 
empire of Abyssinia itself, especially as it stood 
in very ancient times. Moreover, King David, we 
are told from the best authority, “ was ruddy, and 
withal of a beautiful countenance (fair of eyes), 
and goodly to look upon.” (1st Sam. c. xvi., v. 
12.) So that David’s progeny are sadly degene¬ 
rated to have become wholly black. Nor do we 
think that Speke will gain anything by his an¬ 
nouncement that his hair is like King David’s. 
Further, if Zerah, the Ethiopian (a.c. 941), had 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE KILE. 101 

Uganda and Karagwe as part of his dominions, it 
will follow that Zerah must have been well ac¬ 
quainted with the source and tributaries of the 
Nile; and though the records of his empire are 
lost to us, still his knowledge of all these things 
was long before Speke so pompously proclaimed 
the discovery. It would be a waste of time to 
attempt to investigate such crude speculations 
further. They do not, however correct they may 
be, prove that Captain Speke has discovered the 
Source or Spring of the Nile. 

King Rumanika appears after all to be a bit of a 
wag. At p. 236 he asks Speke, “ Whether or not 
the moon made different faces to laugh at us mortals 
on earth.” Of this there can be little doubt, and 
well and properly may the moon do so. Let any 
one look at the moon when she is full, and then 
say if she does not represent a photograph of 
Speke, back uppermost, with both legs stretched 
out, and arms extended, grasping the mountains 
of the Moon, the Lake Nyanza, the hills of Chope 
(the Apennines of the Moon), and Luta Nzige, the 
Man portion of the satellite, and other points 
similar in both. In short, the keen-eyed Ruma- 


ir 






3 02 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

nika appears to have been laughing at Speke’s 
credulity. 

From Karagwe we proceed to Uganda, peopled 
by a branch of the Zerah family, the best blood of 
Abyssinia. This is a kingdom that we are told all 
ought to imitate and to admire—where the popu¬ 
lation are described as dwelling in a perfect paradise, 
and all most respectably dressed. On looking into 
the matter fully, however, we perceive that this 
splendid dress consists of bark cloth and the hides 
of cows and wild beasts, &c., where such can be 
obtained. The population are subject to a most 
bloody and brutal tyrant. Culprits are dismem¬ 
bered bit by bit, as food for the vultures, till life 
is extinct. The King shoots whomsoever he pleases, 
at times, and in mere sport. His brothers, however 
many there may be, are all burnt to death at his 
coronation, with the exception of two or three to 
preserve the succession in case the King is cut off 
without children. He keeps a harem of upwards of 
300 females, furnished frequently by their parents, 
in order to defray the confiscation that the sove¬ 
reign of his own jealousy or pleasure is daily heaping 
upon them. This King, we are informed “ keeps 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 103 


a splendid court,” yet we are told that lie sometimes 
ate with a copper knife and picker, not forked, but 
more usually like a dog with both hands (p. 392). 
Every day saw one, two, or three poor females 
dragged from the harem to a cruel execution and 
death. In one day and at one time no fewer than 
four were thus dragged forth. At page 357, in 
proof of their modesty and decency, Speke informs 
us minutely thus :—“ These twenty naked virgins, 
the daughters of Wakungu, all smeared and stream¬ 
ing with grease, each holding a small square of 
Mbugu for a fig leaf, marched in a line before us 
as a fresh addition to the harem.” After this pre¬ 
sentation, “ a sedate old dame rose from the squat¬ 
ting mass, ordered the virgins to right about, and 
marched them off, showing their still more naked 
reverse.” 

When the people wish to penetrate into futurity, 
they sacrifice a child, and of so little value is human 
life in Uganda, that when the King heard that the 
white man intended to visit him, he sacrificed 50 
big men and 400 small ones. In short, every part 
of the State appears to be one vast scene of plunder, 
robbery, violence, slavery, the slave trade, and 



104 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

bloodshed, accompanied by frequent famines and 
want. Speke himself often went, at least so he 
says, supperless to bed, and without food for the 
day ; his men eating grass. 

We have noticed the refined manners of the 
higher class of males. Let us turn to that of the 
females—the Queen Dowager, for example. She 
appears to be the best of the lot, and has some fun 
about her. Speke was a particular favourite with 
her—so much so that her courtiers said he had 
bewitched her heart. Her Majesty held a parti¬ 
cular levee and party for his reception. She ap¬ 
peared in great state, and had at hand plenty of the 
best Pombe in the kingdom. A large wooden 
trough was placed before the Queen and filled with 
liquor. The Queen and her ministers plunged into 
the Pombe and became uproarious. The Queen 
put her head to the trough and drank like a pig 
from it, and was followed by her ministers. Speke, 
the friend and invited guest, ought in courtesy or 
good manners to have done the same. Flattery 
was applied to the lady, who was led to believe 
that as often as she changed her dress she improved 
in beauty. She changed dresses three times, and 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 105 

each time swilled Pombe largely. 0 The Queen and 
her councillors all became uproarious. She began 
to sing, and the councillors to join in the chorus ; 
then all sang, and all drank and drank and sang, 
till in their native excitement they turned the 
palace into a pandemonium. Now, all of a sudden, 
as if the Devil had taken possession of the company, 
the ministers, with all the courtiers, jumped to their 
legs—cups were too small, so the trough was 
resorted to, and the Queen graced it by drinking, 
pig-fashion, first, and then handing it round to the 
company. 

This model State and splendid capital (so Speke 
writes Petherick) was his great object, and it may 
be presumed congenial to his feelings and pursuits. 
He boldly insisted that as “ he was a great Prince 
in his own country,” so it would be a degradation 
to him to reside in the customary places allotted 

* At a particular stage of this debauch, says Speke (p. 314), an 
eye-witness to the act, “ a naked virgin, with a Mbugu only, 
handed to the Queen over her shoulder a cup of pombe,” Speke 
looking on. Mbugu is a favourite word with our author. It 
occurs in almost every page. It is made of bark-cloth, of a shape 
as female fancy dictates. As far as we can gather the meaning of 
the name, it signifies not to cover, but to show the part that 
should be covered. 


106 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

to travellers, and that in the palace was his proper 
home, where he could conveniently see and con¬ 
verse with the King every day without the presence 
or the intervention of his ministers. He stuck to 
this point, and by the aid and influence of the Queen 
Dowager he gained it. Now, what would the 
people of England say if King Mtesa should send 
one of his princes, or ministers, as ambassador to 
the British sovereign, and wish that this minister— 
a “ first-rate noble, the hangman or cook ”—should 
reside in Buckingham Palace or Windsor Castle, 
and be at liberty to communicate with Queen Vic¬ 
toria daily, without the intervention of her ministers; 
and further, that she should maintain Mtesa’s am¬ 
bassador and suite at her sole expense ? Yet even 
more than this is what Speke demands, for he had 
no diplomatic character. Why, such a demand 
would be considered a national insult, and the 
insulters at once ordered about their business, and 
to leave the country.V Mtesa ought to have served 
Speke in this manner. 

We are almost moved to tears at the pathetic 
complaints and woes of Speke, who, though living 
in a splendid and well-peopled palace, yet found 




DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 107 

himself so lonely, without a wife or female com¬ 
panion, that very frequently he could neither sleep 
nor eat. This deprivation of domestic comfort seems 
to have worked like “ a Bee i’ the bonnet.” When 
at the Bipon Falls, he states (p. 470)—“This day 
I sat watching the fish playing at the falls, and felt 
as if I only wanted a wife and family, garden and 
yacht, rifle and rod, to make me happy here for life, 
so charming was the place. What a place, I 
thought to myself, this would be for missionaries. 
They never could fear starvation,” &c. Now, as 
to all this loneliness and want of female society, we 
find (p. 309) that the Commander-in-Chief of the 
army had, by the hand of an elderly Mganda woman, 
sent him a lady, with metaphorical compliments, 
praying that “ I would accept her to carry my 
water,” and adding that if I did not like her, or 
wanted one that might be thought prettier, I could 
have a choice of one amongst ten of all colours. 
“ As nothing offends so much as rejecting such 
presents, I kept her for the time being.” The 
Queen Dowager afterwards made him a present of 
two, declaring he might have more, and conse¬ 
quently we find she had sent him another, which 



108 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


Speke intimated he did not think good enough for 
a man of his dignity. She replied that the one 
sent was only u a creature” such as they bestowed 
upon personages of inferior rank ; therefore if he 
wanted something better, he must wait a bit. The 
King in the meantime had (p. 284) sent him one. 
Speke therefore was not and could not be in great 
want of African wives or maidens to carry his 
water. And as regards a real wife, his friend 
Kumanika would have readily given him the pick 
of his kingdom; and surely Captain Speke could 
have felt no degradation in marrying a lineal 
descendant of the great Jewish King David. She 
would have been a curiosity in this country, and 
a credit and triumph to him amongst his true friends 
in England. 

There are two great omissions amongst the views 
given in the volume. First, Speke’s “ engineering” 
on the Fat Queen, and secondly, the Queen Dowager 
of Uganda and her courtiers drinking Pombe in 
pig-fashion, and Speke “ n’yanzigging ” or looking 
on, applauding the scene. Two drawings of those 
acts upon a tolerably large scale, finished and hung 
up, one in the Foreign Office and one in the library, 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 109 

or some room of tlie Royal Geographical Society, 
would form objects of attraction such as have not 
been seen in the latter office since Du Chaillu’s 
gorilla graced the room. Both views would draw a 
large number of gazers and amuse the Council in 
the one place, and in the other inspire the secretary, 
tickle the clerks, and amuse foreign ambassadors 
while waiting for the appointed interview. 

But here we must conclude our observations, 
perhaps too far extended, upon such miserable sub¬ 
jects and senseless narratives, but with which more 
than two hundred pages of the volume is filled. It 
is with a disgust that we want proper words to 
express, to find the first names in Europe prosti¬ 
tuted, and especially the name of our great and 
gracious Sovereign insulted and degraded, in giving 
names to places in this most barbarous and degraded 
country. We earnestly hope that the Royal Geo¬ 
graphical Society will in future denounce with the 
greatest severity all such proceedings on the part of 
any one they patronise and employ. 

Nothing can be so absurd as to impose English 
names on any part, but especially upon places in 
the remote interior parts of Africa. This is, we 


110 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

believe, done by no other nation. (What nonsense 
it is calling a part of Lake Nyanza the Bengal 
Archipelago. A stagnant puddle, with water in 
it only during the rains, or when the lake overflows, 
the Jordans, a name never heard of in geography. 
The eminent characters seized upon to give names 
to Ripon Falls, Murchison Creek—a stagnant pud¬ 
dle—can scarcely feel gratified by this appropriation 
of their names. It is really time that such tom¬ 
foolery should be relinquished. ) To what do we owe 
so much of our ignorance of ancient geography but 
to the substitution by later travellers of new for 
ancient native names?—which are generally most 
expressive, whereas the names now so frequently 
given explain nothing. When such a promontory 
as the Cape of Good Hope, never before seen or 
known to geography in any age of the world, was 
discovered, it was reasonable and proper to give it 
the name it has obtained ; and so of other places 
made known under similar circumstances. The 
Royal Geographical Society of London should 
attend to this subject, as the world should look 
up to it as the leader and director in all such 
matters. 





DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. Ill 

It is truly deplorable to learn that all intercourse 
with white men only extends the slave trade and 
slavery and desolation over Africa, and especially 
in the large districts at present under our notice. 
Speke says they have brought “ the devil ” into 
that portion of Africa. Baker tells us that they 
have rendered Gondokoro “ a perfect hell.” The 
whole river is now frequented by Turks, Circassians, 
Syrians, and, according to Dr. Murie, the worst 
description of Italians and Frenchmen. The fol¬ 
lowing letter, received from sure authority, and 
dated “ Khartoum, Nov. 12, 18G3,” will show in a 
strong light what is now going on there :— 

‘ You have no idea how dreadful the slave trade 
is here. The longer we stay the more we find it 
out. Last Sunday I saw three boats full of slaves 
shipped off to Cairo or Kordofan by the Govern¬ 
ment, guarded by soldiers. Oh, it was such a 
shocking sight! The Government pretend they do 
not allow slavery, but they accept slaves in payment 
from the people here for their taxes. It is a burning 
shame ; I cannot write all the horrors of it. It 
makes one quite giddy. They look so pitiful, with 
great collars round their necks, and some with 


J 


112 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

chains on their legs. Too much cannot be said 
against it.’ 

In its proper place we have forgotten to notice 
the important fact that Speke seems well acquainted 
with the proceedings of Petherick’s first two ex¬ 
plorers, for he tells us that they had proceeded a 
long way due south from Nyambara, and at this 
utmost point “ found a river running from east to 
west.” Petherick tells us that they went seven¬ 
teen days’ journey due south, when they were 
forced to turn back on account of famine and the 
hostility of the natives. At 10 geographical miles 
each day this distance would bring them to 2° 15' 
N. lat., but nine miles per day to 1° 28' N. lat., the 
latter to the Karuma Falls, and the former near to 
Kamrasi’s palace. At the Karuma Falls the river 
runs from east to west; but we have yet to receive 
an account of this from Petherick himself, as also his 
latitudes and longitudes, which Dr. Murie tells us 
were taken at different places. But as regards this 
southern journey the account may be defective, 
because Mussard, his most faithful and trustworthy 
servant, was killed by an Arab soon after he joined 
his master, coming up the river. Mussard had left 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 113 


Gondokoro about the end of June, 1862, at which 
time Speke had not reached that place. We are, 
however, indebted to Speke for noticing the subject, 
as it shows that those men had not been idle, and 
the} r had carried out their instructions as far as they 
could. In like manner we may allude to Speke’s 
dictatorial letter of March, 1862 (Proceedings, vol. vii., 
p. 235), to Petherick, from the capital of Uganda, 
commanding him, as his superior officer, to come 
without delay to that place, with a great load of fine 
things to give to the kings of the country, adding that 
he (Speke) was well aware that he (Petherick) could 
not do this without a serious loss to his private 
affairs, but also telling him not to mind that, as 
whatever that loss might be, he would “ ask the 
Government to defray it! ” This declaration shows 
clearly that Petherick was not bound or expected 
to leave entirely his mercantile pursuits for the sole 
purpose of watching and looking for and guarding 
Speke and his expedition. 




114 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


No. III.—GEOGRAPHY, COMMERCE, &c. 

The expedition of Burton and Speke, and next of 
Speke and Grant, so lately concluded, were both, 
but especially the latter, organised upon erroneous 
and fallacious principles. They went into Africa 
with a high hand, proclaiming loudly their great 
dignity and power, and the power and the greatness 
of their country. There were with them large par¬ 
ties of armed men, with numerous attendants, and 
extensive supplies. The chiefs and people were 
everywhere alarmed, knowing, as every one in 
Eastern Africa knows, what British power has 
effected in India. The most exaggerated reports 
were circulated about them, founded, as there is too 
much reason to believe, upon the foolish boastings 
made by individuals amongst the explorers. The 
miserable districts they had to pass through were 

quickly stripped of their scanty supplies. Enormous 

« 

prices were demanded for all supplies of food and 
labour. The more rapidly the explorers hurried 
on, the more the chiefs and people exacted. They 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 115 


were attacked, plundered, deceived, laughed at, or 
dreaded, according as circumstances and opportu¬ 
nity offered. Wherever they came every person 
considered them fair game; that they would either 
never see them again, or if again, see them only 
as rulers or oppressors. The stories circulated to 
their prejudice flew about widely. A story also, 
however absurd, never loses in telling bv Africans 
or Arabs, and the incautious boastings of the pre¬ 
ceding Spekeite explorers ran before the second 
expedition, and gave rise to some delusive and ludi¬ 
crous fears and opinions. The people in the inte¬ 
rior were taught to believe that the travellers were 
cannibals; that being Anglo-Indians they would 
consume all their corn and their plantains, drink 
the Nyanza Lake dry, and blow up Africa! 

Captain Speke, at all times, did everything to 
proclaim his contempt for trade, but which is the 
only passport in Africa, It is amusing to learn the 
cunning with which the chiefs and their retainers 
baffled all his wisdom and calculations in the collec¬ 
tion of their customs and revenue. Suwarora, 
Vikory, and Kamrasi were all adepts in that way, 
and beat European tax-gatherers hollow. We hope 


116 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Speke will bring none of them liere to collect our 
miscellaneous and income taxes. 

Leaving for a time the consideration of Captain 
Speke’s decisions about the different races of man¬ 
kind, we proceed to analyse his geography. This 
important point connected with this portion of 
Africa, as adverted to in very ancient and later 
times, we must, however, condense as much as pos¬ 
sible, but the narratives of eminent authors during 
a period of more than 3000 years cannot be placed 
in a column of our paper. Captain Speke would 
leave little to be said except what he himself has 
discovered or supposes he has discovered To 
complete his present geographical intelligence, we 
must return for a moment to the account of his 
former journey, as we find it in Blackwood's Maga¬ 
zine , October, 1859, and in the Journal of the Boycd 
Geographical Society , vol. xxix., for 1859. 

In his first journey Speke found Muanza, on the 
southern shore of a lake, or say of the lake, to be 
in 2° 31' S. lat., and by “ dead reckoning” due N. 
of Kazeh, that place being in 33° T 34" E. long. ; 
but we have good grounds to believe that Muanza 
is about 20' further west, or in 32° 41' E. long. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 117 

Satsuma, or Observatory Hill, was 15 miles to the 
eastward, and in 2° 24' S. lat. From Muanza to 
Kitangule Karagwe is one month’s journey by land, 
but only five days’ voyage N.N.W. by water, which 
will bring the point on Karagwe to 1° 43' S. lat., 
and 31° 35' E. long. The N} r anza inundates exten¬ 
sively the land on its south side, because it is flush 
with the level surface of the country. Muanza 
stands on the east side of what is ludicrously called 
the Jordans, a creek or inlet of the lake extending a 
short distance south-east, like a bullock’s curved 
horn. Eastward of Muanza 15 miles is Satsuma, 
or Observatory Hill, 2° 24' S. lat., and northward 
of it, 15 miles in the lake, is the island of Ukerewe, 
from which the Arabs give the lake or sea its name. 
East of Satsuma 35 geographical miles Speke saw a 
small hill at the south-east corner of the lake. 
From thence the lake trended north, by Urudi or 
Uroro, opposite to islands Mazita and Ukerewe. 
Beyond this to the north, say 70 or 80 miles, lay 
the island of Thiri or Kitiri, which we find is to the 
south-east, and on the border of Uganda. West¬ 
ward of Muanza the lake extended about the same 
distance as on the east side, making its breadth 


118 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

from east to west 80 geographical miles ; but 
stretching away to the northward like a long Lan¬ 
caster gun to 3° 30' N. lat. To the W.S.W. of 
Muanza the lake was studded with small islands, 
rising from 200 to 300 feet high, as far as the eye 
could reach; the country of the Masai at a distance 
stretching eastward in little rolling hills. 

This is what Speke saw with his eyes and heard 
with his ears in 1857, and which was exhibited as a 
wonderful object. By-and-by, however, the ex¬ 
tensive noddle of this lake was cut off; then another 
and another portion, till it was brought into its 
present shape, and its northern edge close to the 
Equator. In the meantime, and at the same time, 
slice after slice was severed from its right cheek, 
and its first shape totally obliterated. Let the 
reader now attend to us. From about thirty miles 
east of the meridian of Muanza to Kagera, and not 
very much to the south of the same parallel as the 
head of the Jordans, Speke gives the land between 
Nyanza and Lake Tanganyika, 300 feet lower than 
Lake Nyanza. Next come for our consideration 
“ the Mountains of the Moon.” These were first 
laid down in a neat little circle as hills north of the 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 119 

Tanganyika, but they are now removed about 1° 30" 
further west, and to within a few miles of the 
Equator, and placed in a most conspicuous circle, in 
form like a Lord Chancellor’s wig. The history of 
these Moon Mountains of Speke, for he is their 
parent, as also the christener of them as they stand, 
is somewhat curious. They were first given to be 
6,000 feet above the level of the sea, but in a few 
months they grew up in Whitehall-place to 8,000 
feet; and now the new ones have grown up pro¬ 
digiously, as we shall presently see, while the 
Urundi batch have sunk to about 5,000 feet. Bur¬ 
ton told an acquaintance of ours that the height of 
those hills at the head of Lake Tanganyika was only 
2,000 feet above the level of the lake, instead of 
8,000 feet! 

We now come to the consideration of the last 
journey of Speke, for no one else can be taken into 
the narrative. We have seen that the lake floods 
the land on its southern shores extensively, and the 
same authority (Speke) tells us repeatedly that the 
lake on the north side never inundates its shore. 
When returned from his last journey he gave the 
height of the lake 3,550 feet—(see map published 


120 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

by Stanford, Cliaring-cross, by bis permission and 
direction)—now he has raised it, on what we may 
call his official map, to its former height, 3,745 feet. 
Let ns take it so, and notice the indescribable 
confusion and impossible results that must follow. 
Little Lake Windermere, 3,639 feet high, feeds, we 
are told, the Kitangule river, and this river runs 
into the Lake Nyanza, 3,745 feet high, thus making 
the river run upwards instead of downwards! No 
wonder the natives were afraid lest Speke’s 
army should drink Nyanza dry, when we find that 
one draught sucked up 200 feet of its depth, in a 
surface of 9,000 square miles, particularly as he told 
us that South Nyanza was not very deep. Another 
suck, nay, even less, would have emptied it.° 

Still more serious errors and inconsistencies than 
the one that has just been adverted to appear as we 
advance to the eastward. Mtesa’s palace stands on 
a small eminence, and immediately adjoining it on 

* This great decrease of the lake may have taken place in the 
year 1861, when Egypt was so nearly drowned. The decrease in 
the lake is now, as regards space, in both cases about equal to the 
increase in the other. It is therefore strange that Speke does not 
think of this in order to make out his second statement. This 
would have been plausible. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 121 

the west side is the end of Murchison Creek, a still 
inlet without current. This palace, or capital, is 
3,400 feet above the level of the sea, but then it is 
still 345 feet below what is supposed to be the lake. 
There ought, therefore, to have been a strong rush 
and current of water northward in this creek, but 
there was none! 

Again, at the Ripon Falls, only a few miles from 
the entrance to the Napoleon Channel, the elevation 
of the river above the level of the sea is stated to be 
3,308 feet, and consequently it is there 339 feet 
below the lake. There must then have been a very 
great cataract, indeed, at the separation of the 
stream from the Nyanza. Yet the current as seen 
was very gentle. Again, the Ripon Falls had only 
12 feet descent, yet we find at Urondogani, 0° 52' 
27" north latitude, about 16 miles north, the river, in 
the intervening space gentle, stated to be 2,865 feet 
above the ocean, giving a descent to that place, of 
883 feet in a distance of probably only 30 miles. 
At the Karuma Falls the river is stated to be 2,970 
feet above the ocean, which is 105 feet above 
Urondogani, thus making the river for the space of 
90 miles to run upwards instead of downwards. 


122 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Again, at Namaouji, 14 miles north of the capital 
of Uganda, we find the elevation of the land 3,103 
feet, or 97 feet below the capital, and 238 feet 
higher than Urondogani. In the distance between 
the capital and Urondogani, there are in the sjiace 
alluded to no fewer than twelve rivers crossed, 
including the Luajerri, a wide body of water, slug¬ 
gish and slow in current, and is said to rise in the 
Kyanza. From whence or to what point do all 
these streams flow ? We are not told, and cannot 
make out. 

The Katonga River is a large body of water com¬ 
ing from the north-west quarter, and with a slow 
current flowing into the Nyanza about 50 miles west 
of the capital. Beyond it there is, almost every 
quarter of a mile, large u rush-drains ” flowing in the 
same direction. At the mouth of this stream there 
are forty islands, the largest of which is called Sese, 
where the king keeps his fleet of canoes. From the 
mouth of the Katonga coming from north-west to the 
mouth of the Mwerango, running north-east, is not 
more than 20 miles. From the mouth of Murchison 
Creek, by the Kira, a canoe station, to Urondogani, 
the king’s naval commander stated there were nu- 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 123 


merous shoals, rocks, and great cataracts in the 
Nyanza, such as render the navigation dangerous 
and almost impracticable. “ Boats from Murchison 
Creek never visit Kira ” (p. 469), which is the most 
eastern district of Uganda. From Kira it would take 
one month by the lake to go to the Masai country, 
where there is another Nyanza to which the king’s 
canoes go for salt, but the same place could be gained 

t 

in seven days, viz., “ four by land and three by 
water ” (p. 429). The passage from Murchison Creek 
to Usoga is very circuitous on account of reefs or 
shoals. In this route the Kitiri Island is passed (p. 
399). The Waganda know of no other Kitiri but 
this. It cannot be above 80 miles from their north¬ 
east frontier. 

In descending the river from Urondogani we meet 
with continued confusion and evidently impracticable 
positions. At Kamrasi’s palace the distance that is 
given to Lake Luta Nzige is about 70 miles. At the 
Karuma Falls we may fairly take the distance to be 
the same. The lake in its southern position is given as 
2,200 feet above the level of the sea. By what means 
or knowledge this elevation was ascertained is not 
stated, but we assume it to be correct. The Karuma 


124 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Falls, as they are called, having only 10 feet descent, 
are 2970 feet above the level of the sea. To the lake 
there is, therefore, a descent of 770 feet in a distance 
of 60 or 70 miles. 

At this point should commence the supposed 
backwater, of 166 miles in length, towards the 
S.S.W. But how are we to manage for the subse¬ 
quent descent of the river beyond the northern point 
of this lake ? To the point where the river is met 
with beyond Paira, 120 miles from the Karuma Falls, 
the descent is stated to be 1,000 feet, say (400 feet 
higher than Gondokoro), and consequently nearly 
300 feet below the level of the north point of the 
Luta Lake. How, then, could the Nile form a back¬ 
water from this ? This is not thought of, nor explained. 
The fact is that this backwater expanse was, we be¬ 
lieve, made out in London in order to cobble up 
something like consistency and unity, and also to 
account for the diminution of the river in mag¬ 
nitude, which they found as they advanced north¬ 
wards. 

Kamrasi, Chief of Unyoro, or, as he is there 
styled, “King of Kings,” has, we think, been very 
much belied. He has been portrayed as an out-and- 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 125 


out butcher. Now to us he really appears the best 
of the lot. When his subjects offend him he flogs 
them, telling them that it is fortunate for them they 
have such a merciful sovereign, for if they were 
under Mtesa, he would, for the same offence, cut off 
their heads. He has eight fattened queens, each of 
whom is so large that it takes eight men to raise her 
up. His attention to these ladies must occupy so 
much of his time that he can have but little to spare 
either to do good or to do evil. His domicile is very 
simple, containing, besides himself, in one puddle- 
hole room, cows, pigs, poultry, and birds, clean and 
unclean. 

But what is Nyanza, and how much of it, if lake 
it be, has been discovered ? The word means equally 
“ pond,” “river,” or “lake,” and is applied as the 
name of the river from Ripon Falls downwards to 
Ividi and Gani. All that Speke saw of it was at 
Muanza, and only so far as his eyes could carry him. 
His next sight was at Mashonde or Makaka, about 
20 miles south of the Equator. There he got the 
first glimpse of what he supposed to be the lake in 
his second journey. He saw no more of it even at 
the Ripon Falls, because “ the spur of a hill ” shut 


120 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

out his view of seeing the outlet of the Napoleon 
Channel. To that point Speke’s view of the water 
or lake was only about 50 miles out of 450 miles. 
All the rest was hearsay. 

f Captain Speke pointedly informs us that he had 
satisfied the King of Uganda “that he knew every¬ 
thing.” The king knew better. He succeeded in 
detaining him in his palace for five months, yet 
within only five hours’ walk of what was considered 
to be the Nyanza, without permitting him to go to 
see it, or getting hold of any one who could give 
him a direct answer to plain inquiries made about it. 
Captain Speke was all the time mentioned amused 
and employed in drinking pombe, courting the 
Queen Dowager, shooting cows, reducing to order 
his rebellious female inmates, some of whom had 
caught the itch from consorting with dirty children, 
and in splashing in the Nyanza in company with the 
king’s naked queens, when not engaged in witness¬ 
ing the execution of some of them. It is almost in¬ 
credible that any man, but especially a man who had 
come one thousand miles to see the position of the 
outlet of the Nile, supposed to be in that spot, should 
remain five months within eight miles of it, without 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 127 

hearing or seeing something certain about the great 
object of his research, or have found some means to 
see it ; Why, he might have taken the arm of the 
beautiful Kariana, the wife of the courtier Dumba, 
with whom he was accustomed to walk arm-in-arm 
to teach her how to walk as he walked with the 
ladies in Hyde Park, shaved his beard, slipped on 
his or her Mbugu, and instead of sitting moping and 
mourning, walked off in a morning walk with Ka¬ 
riana, got to the lake or the river, and so in one 
forenoon seen what he wanted, and thus relieved 
us and the world from all our pain and disappoint¬ 
ment. We think he might have set some scheme 
on foot that would have gained his object. 

In the first journey we were most pointedly told 
that no Arab or native merchant or traveller ever 
crossed the country to the northward of 1° of N. 
lat. We are, however, now told merchants fre¬ 
quently do so; that the road from Uganda through 
the Masai country is well known and often frequented, 
and by it King Mtesa offered to send Speke to the 
coast in one month. Speke himself appears to have 
thought of returning to Zanzibar by this route. At 
page 187 he tells us that Irungu, a native of 


128 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Uganda, expressed his surprise that he had come 
so far about, when he could have taken the short, 
safe, and well-known route to his country by Masai 
and Usogo. 

Next it may be asked, where are the celebrated 
Mountains of the Moon ? We have seen how easily 
and readily the newly-discovered ones have been 
pushed about. * Two reasons may be adduced how 
and why the old mountains may have got out of the 
way. First, they had doubtless heard, like every¬ 
thing else, by the boastings of the first expedition, 
that Indian Englishmen could blow up Africa, and, 
consequently, these mountains included; and when 
they heard that Speke had returned, they doubt¬ 
lessly considered that he had come to execute his 
object Looking at matters from this point of view, 
those lofty hills might consider it proper and prudent 
to emigrate to some safer quarter—perhaps to the 
Moon herself—where there has, within the last few 
years, been discovered a number of very elevated 
peaks; or the whole, or the remnant that stopped at 
home, may have disappeared, and been lowered by 
the following process :—At the extra meeting of the 
Eoyal Geographical Society, June 23,1863 (. Proceed - 




DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 129 


zngs vol. vii., p. 221), Captain Speke enraptured the 
listening throng thus : “ The Mountains of the Moon 
are wearing down, and so is Africa! ” Now, as the 
lake, according to the same authority, had sunk 200 
feet in three years, the hills and the land must have 
done so also. This being so, at the rate of 70 feet 
decrease per annum, we shall, in 75 years more, find 
the Mediterranean Sea running by Uganda into the 
Indian Ocean near Zanzibar, or the Indian Ocean 
from the latter point, by the same route, flowing 
into the Mediterranean. This must be the result, 
or else Speke’s beautiful theory must be wholly 
wrong. 

Ptolemy is the first author who brought those 
mountains before the world, and before entering into 
such theories it might have been well for many to 
have considered carefully what Ptolemy really did 
say on this subject. As many words and opinions 
have been put into his mouth which he certainly 
never uttered, so it might happen that he has been 
misrepresented or misunderstood upon this import¬ 
ant subject also ; and that the world, thoughtless as 
it is known to be, has been hunting after a phantom 
which has never existed. We accordingly searched 


130 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

out the passage. The expression used appears to us 
very remarkable. It is “ Selenes Oros,” “ Moon 
Mountain ,” not Mountains of the Moon, as has for 
ages been stated. But lest we should be mis¬ 
taken we called the attention of an Oxford scholar 
to it, and he told us that “ Selenes Oros,” Moon 
Mountain , in the singular, was the correct reading. 

This is important, and in our opinion is intended 
to designate, not clusters of mountains, but a moun¬ 
tain chain, which divided the waters that flowed to 
the north and to the south, and also from its extre¬ 
mities to the west and to the east. The extent of 
this was taken at 10°; and from Kilimanjaro, say 
37° E. long., or Kenia in 36° E. long., 10° west¬ 
ward brings us to 27° or 26° E. long.; and in this 
space we have all the features of Africa, lakes and 
mountains, alluded to by Ptolemy. That early geo¬ 
grapher placed his Lake Nilus a little to the south of 
the Equator, and 5° E. long, from Alexandria—that 
is, in 34° or 35° E. long, by our mode of reckoning. 
He was led into an error in placing these portions of 
the interior, bearing, as he conceived, from certain 
points in the east. Thus he places Cape Aromatum 
(Cape Asser or Cape Guardafui) in G° N. lat., which 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 131 


we know to be in 11° 48' 50", being thus, say 6° 
out of its true place. He places the lake, the source 
of the western branch of the river, 1° more to the 
north and 8° more to the west than the one for the 
eastern branch; subsequent inquiries may show us 
that these great eatures of Africa may yet turn out 
to be substantially correct. 

We cannot here enter into any disquisition re¬ 
garding the discrepancies that appear amongst the 
very ancient authors regarding these parts of Africa. 
We notice only those that are consistent and most 
valuable, and as bearing upon the priority of discovery 
and geographical knowledge. The earliest period we 
hear of Ethiopia is in the capture of the capital 
thereof by Moses 1400 years before our era, and 
90 or 100 years before the departure of the Israelites 
from Egypt. Josephus calls it Saba, and states that 
it was very strong, situated on the River Astosabos, 
and that the name was changed to Meroe, by Cam- 
byses, in honour of his sister Meroe. There were 
known to ancient writers three great tributaries 
to the Nile in Ethiopia, namely, the Astaboras 
(Tacazze), the Astosabos (Blue River), and the 
Astapus (White River). Herodotus, 450 years be- 


132 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

fore our era, obtained much information regarding 
those interior parts of Africa, and in general, in 
its grand features, pretty correct. He says the 
source of the Nile, Astosabos, was 20 days’ journey 
to the south of Meroe, which will bring it to the 
Lake Dembea or Tzana. According to Ptolemy, the 
position of Meroe was in 16° 25' N. lat., but the 
ancient astronomer Hipparchus has placed it in 16° 
51', which may.be taken as the most correct. Cail- 
laud found the vast ruins in 16° 56'. Under Psam- 
meticus, the first Egyptian king that reigned after 
the final expulsion of the Ethiopian kings from 
Egypt, 240,000 emigrants from Egypt settled in an 
island south of the island of Meroe, that is beyond 
Khartoum, between the Blue and the White Rivers, 
and at eight days’ journey east of the Nuboe, or 
Nubatoe. Those and the adjacent parts must there¬ 
fore have been well known to the Egyptians. Sub¬ 
sequently the Roman arms extended to those parts. 
Petronius, the Roman general under Augustus, 
thirty years before our era, took and destroyed 
Napata, the ancient capital of Tirhaka, situated on 
the great northern bend of the Nile at Mount Bark- 
hall, where vast ruins are still found. Meroe cer- 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 133 

tainly, the capital of Queen Candace, mentioned in 
the New Testament (Acts viii. 27), also fell under 
the Roman yoke. Nero, early in his reign, sent a 
remarkable exploring party, under two centurions, 
with military force, to explore the source of the Nile 
and the countries to the west of the Astapus or White 
River, at that early day considered to be the true 
Nile. Assisted by an Ethiopian sovereign (Candace, 
no doubt), they went through the district now known 
as Upper Nubia, to a distance of 890 Roman miles 
from Meroe. In the last part of their journey they 
came to immense marshes, the end of which no one 
seemed to know, amongst which the channels were 
so narrow that the light boat or canoe in use was 
barely sufficient to carry one man across them. Still 
they continued their course south till they saw the 
river tumbling down or issuing out between two 
rocks, when they turned back, carrying with them a 
map of the regions through which they had passed: 
for Nero’s guidance and information. This, it may 
be remarked, is exactly the case still. The Dutch 
ladies told us last year that they found the channels 
amongst these marshes so thick that the lightest 
canoe, made of bulrushes, scarcely fit to carry one 


134 DISCOVERY OE THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

man, could find room to pass on them, or across them. 
After this, Pliny, Strabo, and other Koman authors, 
took notice of this portion of Africa, but without 
giving us anything important or new. Soon after 
Ptolemy became the chief authority on these sub¬ 
jects, and collected a great deal of useful information 
elsewhere noticed. After him came the Arabs, who 
adopted closely all his geographical notions and deli¬ 
neations, which renders it unnecessary to say any¬ 
thing more about them here. It is, however, both 
pleasing and satisfactory to find those marshes 
and the rivers as described to us to-day, to be the 
same—exactly the same—that they were, we may 
say, 3500 years ago. Eschylus, who wrote 500 
years before our era, positively mentions these 
immense marshes. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 135 


No. IV.—GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE, COM- 

MERCE, &c. 

We may here make a few references to the Ara¬ 
bian geographers. Belacl el Sudan, or country of 
the blacks, says Backui, extends on the east to 
Ethiopia. Edrisi, who was born in Nubia, but who 
wrote in Egypt about a.d. 1400, says, in that part 
of Ethiopia south and south-west of Nubia is first 
seen the separation of the two Niles. The one 
flows from south to north into Egypt, and the other 
part of the Nile flows from east to west; and upon 
that branch of the Nile lie all, or at least the most 
celebrated kingdoms of the Negroes. “ From the 
Mountains of the Moon,” says Scheadeddin, “ the 
Egyptian Nile takes its rise. It cuts horizontally 
the Equator in its course north. Many rivers come 
from this mountain, and unite in a great lake. 
From this lake comes the Nile, the greatest and 
most beautiful of the rivers of all the earth. Many 
rivers derived from this great river, water Nubia, 
&c. 

From the Arabs we may fairly descend to our 


136 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

own times. The early Portuguese discoverers 
obtained a great deal of geographical information 
regarding the interior of Africa, and especially 
regarding two lakes near the Equator, from one of 
which, the most northern, the Egyptian Nile was 
stated to flow. This information was largely used 
by the French geographer (D’Anville), and the 
Dutch geographers of that time. Subsequently 
Bruce and others told us about the great disparity 
in magnitude between the Blue and the White 
Bivers; the latter, they asserted, rose far to the 
south, near to the Equator, and amongst mountains 
covered with eternal snow. Twenty-five years ago, 
Mahomed Ali, the clear-sighted and energetic ruler 
of Egypt, sent an expedition, consisting of several 
barques, well provided with everything necessary 
and under able naval officers, to explore the White 
Nile to its source, if possible. They did their w T ork 
so far well, but were forced to return back on the 
26th January, 1840, in lat. 3° 22'N., for want of 
sufficient depth of water for their vessels. At lat. 
3° 30' they found the river 1,370 feet broad and 
say six feet deep. In every day’s work on the 
voyage they gave the width of the river, the depth 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 137 

of the river, the force of its current, its tempera¬ 
ture, and the miles (geographical) made good daily. 
Captain Speke will surely remember that the official 
account of this voyage was put into his hands after 
his return from his first African journey, showing 
from it that the Egyptian officers had advanced a 
few miles beyond the north termination (3° 30" N.) 
of his lake. He has now found out the truth of 
this exploration, but which he and other wiseacres 
at the time treated with derision. Nobody, says he, 
then believed it. Since then, Dr. Peney and M. 
Miani have gone up the stream to about 3° N. lat., 
and M. Vincent Angelo, a German missionary, 
ascended beyond 2° N. lat. His account lias been 
confirmed by Captain Speke, who tells us (p. 507), 
that in passing down the river he saw, when in 
1° 40' N. lat., Mount Udongo, the Padongo of 
Angelo, to the east of his course. The Church 
Missionary Society’s excellent missionaries had 
before this time made us acquainted with the 
source of a river in a lake near to, but west of 
Mount Kenia, about 80 miles east of Speke’s new 
source, from which a river flowed N.W. to Massr 
(Egypt). The Dutch ladies confirm the accuracy 


138 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

of tlie turning-point of the Egyptian expedition, 
where they state they steamed beyond Gondokoro, 
six or eight hours in time. Arab traders worthy of 
credit had also informed us of Speke’s Nyanza and 
its position ; in short, only a small space of country 
actually remained to be explored—explored, not to 
be discovered—when Speke went upon his first 
journey. His boast, therefore, made at Taunton, 
Dec. 24, 1863, as the real discoverer, that he “ had 
in 1857 hit the Nile on the head, and in 1863 
drove it down to the Mediterranean,” is greatly 
inaccurate. Moreover, no mortal man should make 
such a boast. Here also Speke meets with a 
previous discoverer. We quote from a volume 
which we always delight to look into, and the autho¬ 
rity of which cannot be impugned. There we find 
that, 600 years before our era, a haughty Egyptian 
king, for himself and for Egypt, told the world 
thus :—“ My river is mine own, and I have made it 
for myself.” Of course he must have known every 
part of the Nile, from its head to its mouth. But 
what is the reply of Omnipotence? “ I will make it 
(Egypt) a base kingdom ; it shall be the basest of 
the kingdoms (slaves to slaves) ; neither shall it 




DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 139 

exalt itself any more above the nations.” ( Ezelc . 
c. xxix., v. 2, 3, 15.) Is it not so? Has it not 
always been so, since that decree was pronounced ? 
To Speke we would say, u Be not high-minded, but 
fear.” 

Numerous remarkable theories have been ad¬ 
vanced regarding the sources and the course of the 
Nile, both in ancient and in modern times. It was 
stated to be the Gihon of Paradise, and to run round 
Arabia, and again to come from Hindostan, running 
under the sea till it came to the middle of Africa, 
south of the Mountains of the Moon, then sup¬ 
posed to be in about 10° S. lat. At that point, 
according to Mela, it sprang up a river at the 
edge of the land, and thence descended north as the 
river of Egypt. Herodotus and some Roman 
authors joined to it the streams descending from 
Mount Atlas, and carried it through Africa to the 
Nile, and as forming the parent stream of that river. 
Such, too, was for a long time the opinion of some 
more modern writers. The late Sir John Barrow 
adopted this opinion, and carried the Niger and the 
Nile, as one, to the White River above Khartoum. 
The geographers on the other side of the Channel, 


140 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

not many years ago, took up tlie stream in the Bahr 
el Ghazal, at Lake Tchad, and carried it over hill and 
dale by the now so-called Bahr el Ghazal to the 
White River. The word Bahr el Ghazal means 
simply a swampy, marshy, occasionally inundated 
district of country. Hence the error and confusion 
that took place, and is even at this moment con¬ 
tinued. About thirty years ago, two East Indian 
naval officers, Smee and Hardy, seeing the Luffia on 

the east coast when it was in full flood, set it down 

% 

as the veritable Niger of Timbuctoo. We could 
swell this list of strange opinions about the Nile, but 
it would be a waste of time to do so. 

Next, we must here allude to Speke’s wonderful 
Hindoo map (p. 23) of the Nile. That Hindostan 
had much communication with Eastern Africa is 
well known, but with Europe communication only 
began by way of the Red Sea shortly before the 
reign of Justinian. After the Arab conquest the 
trade between Eastern Africa and India was greatly 
increased; but these people closely adopted the 
geography of Ptolemy as their guide in that line of 
communication. Whoever takes the trouble to look 
at the map which Speke has produced as something 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 141 

marvellous and to us wholly new, will perceive at a 
glance that it is Ptolemaic and Arabic authority 
which has been followed. Thus it places the south 
end or head of this river lake in 12° S. lat., the 
very parallel where Ptolemy has erroneously placed 
it. To this error Speke’s absurdity has to be 
added, which is, that he turns the whole upside 
down. He calls it Amara, or Lake of the Gods. 
Amara, according to several authorities—and amongst 
those is Speke himself—is not far from the Equator, 
and Uganda the place of old Jupiter’s Ethiopian 
winter retreat. Rapta, in this precious map, is 
placed at the south head of the lake, and far inland, 
whereas Rhaptum, or Rapta, as Speke has it, is a 
remarkable promontory on the sea coast in East 
Africa, supposed to be near Zanzibar. It is thus 
the misfortune of our author that when he gets hold 
of anything new, so to misplace it as to render it 
useless to himself or any one else. Besides this, we 
are informed on good authority, that this map is a 
fabrication by an authority whose name we have 
forgotten. 

Beyond Usoga, and Ukori, and Amara, Speke 
expressly tells lay the Galla (p. 383) country. But 



142 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

this fact lias long been known. This great African 
people are spread over a large portion of Africa, and 
are quite distinct from the Abyssinians. The Great 
Lake was situated in their country, which, they said, 
was so large that a vulture took three hours to fly 
over it. In the maps constructed by De Lisle for 
Louis XV. of France, this lake is placed reaching 
north to the Equator, and very nearly indeed where 
Lake Xyanza is now placed. It was also repre¬ 
sented to be studded with islands. The dominion of 
the Galla extended to the parallel of 8° lat. on the 
south, and to the meridian of 29° E. long, on the west, 
or perhaps even farther. Their territories are, how¬ 
ever, now much restricted. Still their numbers are 
at present estimated at 5,000,000, all of whom 
Roman Catholic missionaries say they have con¬ 
verted to their Church. When they first attacked 
Abyssinia they came from the south, and were con¬ 
sidered to be an African tribe. Those who inhabited 
the hilly districts in the interior were represented as 
almost white. Bruce saw one from the neighbour- 
hood of the Equator and the lake who was perfectly 
white. When the power of these people came to be 
much restricted in Eastern Africa, some of their 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 143 

chiefs no doubt remained in the most distant western 
parts of their former possessions, and obtained power 
and authority over the rude native tribes, and it is 
probable that the progeny of those chiefs are there 
still, remaining in the countries where Speke found 
his superior race of men, and of whose fine daughters 
he was so greatly enamoured. The ancient and 
even the present Gallas had many cruel customs, 
and which much resembled some that prevailed in 
Palestine, Phoenicia, and some parts of Western 
Asia. They were the Huns and Tartars of Africa. 

Ruin and desolation marked their progress every¬ 
where. They had no connection with Abyssinia. 

Sir William C. Harris mentions a report that they 
came from Arabia into Eastern Africa in very remote 
times. Still they have been by many considered an 
indigenous African race. 

Captain Speke informs us that he most strenu¬ 
ously taught his Wahuma friends in Karagwe and 
Uganda that they ought to reverence deeply the 
great river, the head of which was within their 
dominions, because in Egypt, to which it descended, 
“it had cradled (p. 467) the first expounder (Moses) 
of our religious belief, or Christianity; which Chris- 


144 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

tianity, Europe having embraced, had in its practice 
rendered its people superior to the people in every 
other quarter of the world.” 

Now we have ever believed, and been taught to 
believe, that the origin and base of Christianity was 
in that immutable judgment pronounced by the 
Judge of All in the Garden of Eden, when he told 
the enemy of mankind that “ the seed of the 
woman” whom he had deceived should “crush his 
head.” 

It was this doctrine and religion that Adam 
taught his children, that Noah preached, that Abra¬ 
ham was promised and was glad to learn, that Moses 
typified and taught, that strung King David’s lyre, 
that inspired Isaiah’s tongue, and that which the 
heavenly hosts assembled on Bethlehem’s plains 
attested, and came down to attest, on that hallowed 
night when they proclaimed to angels and men the 
advent of Him who came to carry out in his own 
good time and way the terrible, the immutable 
decree. Captain Speke should really make himself 
better acquainted with these sacred subjects before 
he ventures upon them. 

Again, we are told by our author that Japhet was 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 145 


white. This is not new in history, though some of 
his descendants (the Mongols and Tartars) are dusky 
enough. Sliem was tawny, and Ham’s progeny 
were black, and that these were to continue under 
Noah’s curse till he (Speke) came “ to regenerate” 
Africa. Ham’s progeny were very numerous. One 
portion of them emigrated, or were driven in process 
of time, from Shinar into Hindostan ; another por¬ 
tion, by a similar process, were driven into Africa. 
But all Ham’s progeny were not blacks. The 
Canaanites, Hivites, &c., were not so ; neither were 
the ancient Egyptians. The progeny of Sliem were 
all fair, not tawny—Persians, Modes, Babylonians, 
Chaldeans, Syrians, Arabians, and Hebrews, both 
male and female. Sliem* means especially name, 
likeness, image, and is often applied in Scripture 
to designate the Second Person in the Holy Trinity. 
Its meaning, therefore, in the son of Noah, is the 
image or likeness of the first, and also of the second 
Adam. Japliet was no doubt white. The Hebrew 
verb or name means “to persuade,” and has cer¬ 
tainly a prophetic meaning. Hence it is said, 

* See Parkhurst on the word Sliem.—‘ ‘Name, fame, renown, 
reputation. Name is the representative of a being or a thing,” (be. 



14G DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

“ God shall persuade Japhet, and lie shall dwell in 
the tents of Shem.” This clearly means that they 
should become one family, which dwelling in the 
same tents means, and which the emphatic and 
figurative Eastern expression always conveys. Such 
Japhet’s progeny are daily becoming, and such they 
will completely be when they all become Christians. 
How much of Japhet’s blood may be infused into 
Speke’s veins we know not; he has not stated, nor 
is it of any consequence to inquire into. Besides, 
we cannot comprehend what object Speke has in 
view by introducing Adam and Noah into his 
system relating to the manner in which change of 
colour is produced by mixing the blood of mankind. 
Neither of the names mentioned did, or could pos¬ 
sibly do so. 

The sexes mix and will continue to mix. Differ¬ 
ent colours will follow. Captain Speke is himself a 
most competent witness as to the process. Every 
one who has been in India and in the western 
tropical world knows how Japhet can be made 
black, Ham white, and Shem tawny. It may begin 
by a kind of douce violence, or beguiling by the soft 
arts of love, as it were, and proceed onward as 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 147 

follows. The reader will remember the royal pombe 
banquet at which Speke was the favoured guest. 
When the uproarious party broke up, he told the 
Queen Dowager that “lie admired her wisdom;” 
that “ though his feet might drag his body away 
from her, his heart would still remain here, for he 
loved her much.” Our author must have been 
more than half seas over when he spoke thus; in 
short, 

“ In the trough, uproarious, 

O’er all the ills of life victorious.” 

When the great prince returns to Uganda, he will 
be able to tell if there are more people there than 
formerly that are “ half black and half white;” and 
if on one head there is seen hair like Speke’s and 
any of Nyanamore’s family. But why the sacred 
names of Adam, Noah, and Moses should be dragged 
into such a mass of rubbish, we cannot understand. 
Even as a “ succour dodge,” it will not avail the 
arguments and theories of our author. 0 

* Here we may point out the difference in taste between 
different travellers. When the African chiefs sent Du Chaillu the 
finest young women they could select “ to carry his water,” he 
always returned them indignantly, and chose as his “ maid-of- 


148 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


Our author is again very greatly at fault in what 
he states regarding Dr. Krapf. This gentleman 
never said that a salt lake existed near or at Mount 
Kenia. What Dr. Krapf stated was, that near, and 
west of Mount Kenia, there was a lake from which 
issued a river that ran to Massr or Egypt. It was 
Mr. Erhardt who subsequently stated that, according 
to report, a large salt-water lake, called Baharingo, 
was found a little to the north of the Equator. He 
did not say that the lake in question had any out¬ 
let ; and still less that a fresh-water river came from 
it. This point of belief he left to theorists and 
credulous people like Captain Speke to propagate 
and to credit. But in this portion of Africa we now 
know that there is no lake, salt or fresh, but an 
undulating country, with natron wells from which 
salt is obtained. In reference also to what is taken 
as salt-water lakes in this and other parts of Africa, 
it is well known that on the marshy banks of lakes 


all-work ” the ugliest old negro female he could find. But our 
author, whenever an aged or indifferent lass was sent him (( to 
carry his water,” invariably sent her back, and insisted that they 
should send him the youngest and the most handsome they had. 
He always gained his point, although he was sometimes obliged to 
“ wait a bit” before the better was forthcoming. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 149 

and rivers salt is produced from a plant resembling 
parsley. It is first steeped in water, then the juice 
expressed and boiled down, when a small quantity 
of very fine white salt is obtained, but not of great 
strength. It is sold into adjoining districts, and 
hence the origin of the stories about salt lakes in 
some parts of Africa. 

In descending the river from Madi by Gondokoro, 
Speke gives nothing that is new; or, indeed, any¬ 
thing of the slightest consequence. He simply states 
regarding the important river Sobat, that its middle 
mouth lies in 9° 20' 48" N. lat., and in 31° 24' 9" E. 
long. D’Arnaud places it in 9° 11' N. lat., and 28° 
13' E. long, from Paris, or in 30° 34' E. long, from 
Greenwich. This shows a difference of 11' lat. and 
50' long. Which is right, or which is wrong, we do 
not here take upon ourselves to decide. 

About the wretched kingdoms in that portion of 
Africa regarding which such bombastic stories have 
been given, we may observe that none of them cover 
a space of 70 square miles, and in each of them 
rebellions occur probably monthly. Of Mtesa’s 
tyranny we have elsewhere given striking instances. 
One more, and we have done:—Bombay, Speke’s 


150 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

considerate messenger, found that savage king just 
going to hack four women to death with his own 
hand. He gave Bombay one of the number, and 
then urged Bombay to stop and witness “some 
good sport,” while he hacked to pieces the rest. 
This, Bombay properly declined to do. Yet this 
is the man, and these are the people, whom Speke 
taught Sir Roderick Murchison to believe were 
“ the French of these parts, from their spright¬ 
liness, and good taste, and behaviour.”—(Address, 
Royal Geographical Society, May 25th, 1863). 
What shall we hear next? We presume that this 
state of things is what Speke calls “ the germ of 
Christianity” that remains among those tribes. 

Our French friends will scarcely thank Speke for 
this comparison and intended compliment. Let us 
now shortly give the account of a Royal marriage. 
In this instance there were only three brides, but 
sometimes there are thirty or more so married. 
The naked damsels were ordered by a female 
attendant to move on (p. 434); the king commenced 
a series of huggings, first sitting on the lap of one, 
whom he clasped to his bosom, crossing his neck 
with hers, now to the right and then to the left; 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 151 

and having finished with her, took post on the 
second one’s lap, and then on that of the third, 
performing on each of them the same evolutions. 
He then returned to his original position, and the 
marriage ceremony was supposed to be concluded. 
This is getting into the palace. Next comes the 
way that women (wives) get out of it. The same 
day four women were dragged from the palace for 
execution, each led by a rope fastened to them and 
the hands of the executioners. Dragged to a certain 
spot, the neck of each is dislocated by a blow from 
a heavy club from behind, the head severed off by 
a sharp-edged grass, a slow and cruel process ; and 
after other unfeeling barbarities, the corpse left to 
the vultures or thrown into the lake. Every day 
one, two, three, and four victims are thus disposed 
of, being at the rate of at least 1,000 per annum, 
besides those that are slaughtered in the palace by 
the king, when he mixes a little business with 
pleasure, himself or his pages. What would our 
Parisian friends say if they saw such numbers of 
young females dragged from the Tuileries, executed, 
and then their remains thrown into the Seine ? Yet 
the perpetrators of similar atrocities in Uganda are 


152 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

held up to us by Speke as worthy of admiration and 
respect (p. 389) ! ! 

In reference to the head of the Nile, or of any 
other river, we must observe that it is not always 
the largest branch that gives the name. The Blue 
River, clearly the smaller stream, has, in this in¬ 
stance, given the name. So also the Mississippi, 
although its western tributary, the Missouri, is 
double its length, before their junction takes place, 
retains the name. So also in our country, on a 
small scale. In the Clyde, the mountain stream 
that gives the name is not half the length or the 
magnitude of the Daea, at their junction in the head 
of Lanarkshire. 

Neither can any lake be taken as the head of 
a river, though the river may issue from it. Lake 
Baikal is not the head of the Yenessie River. 
Lake Tzana is not the head of the Blue River, 
Lake Dibbie is not the head of the Niger, Lake 
Geneva not the head of the Rhone, Lake Lausanne 
not the head of the Rhine, Lake Superior not the 
head of the St. Lawrence, nor Lake AVinnipeg the 
head of the Sasketchawan, and so of other rivers 
on this globe; nor is any great lake the sure sign, 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 153 

as Speke says of the Nyanza, of its being the head 
of a great river; but frequently the reverse. Take 
for instance, Lake Tchad, Lake Koki Nor, Lake 
Durah, Lake Van, Lake Nicaragua, Lake Titicaca, 
&c. Here Captain Speke is again at fault, both in 
his theory and opinion. 

In reference to the true source of what is now 
considered as the River Nile, where is that, and has 
Captain Speke discovered it ? The answer must 
decidedly be, certainly not, nor is it nor can it be 
where he has on second thoughts placed it, the 
miserable gully the Jordans, in which there is not 
one drop of fresh water except what comes from the 
clouds during the rains and from the overflowing of 
the lake adjoining. On the part of old Nilus we 
enter the most solemn and determined protest 
against such an absurd and thoughtless decision. 
Is it possible, we say, that after the venerable old 
gentleman has buried his head for 3,500 years from 
the general knowledge of the world, that it should 
be suffered to be dug up in a place where there is 
not a drop of spring water to wet and cool his aged 
and parched lips ? Such degradation cannot be 
allowed in a river god so famous. We are, there- 


154 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

fore, grateful to our facetious contemporary Punch , 
for having given us something more rational, by 
exhibiting to our eyes, in his own droll way, the 
source of the Nile in a large body of water, flowing 
in a copious stream through two large draining- 
tiles, pushed under the adjoining rocks, with Speke, 
for so we take it to be, ’ as the deity of the place, 
sitting calmly smoking his Turkish pipe, a present 
no doubt from the Dowager Queen of Uganda! 
This is surely a better and more appropriate source 
than Speke’s; the Old Man will at least get a draught 
of pure water. 

But let us examine this most important point 
seriously and more fully. In Africa, and also since 
his return to England, Captain Speke has stated his 
decided conviction and belief to be, that this Nyanza 
receives its chief supply of water from the westward 
by the river Kitangule, and some other rivers. This 
river he gives near the lake to be 80 yards broad, 
14 feet or more deep, with a current at the rate of 
four miles per hour (p. 2G1); and this, too, in the 
dry season. Now, this is a large river. The volume 
of water passing through any given channel is as the 
square of the velocity, so that such stream, flowing 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 155 

at the rate of one mile per hour, would, with the 
depth and current stated, spread to a breadth of 1300 
feet. Its chief supplies, doubtless, come from the 
New Mountains of the Moon, amongst which is 
Mount Mfumbiro, 10,000 feet high. How this was 
ascertained is not stated ; but if snow and hail were, 
as he was told, constantly falling upon it, then it 
must be much higher, rising even above 17,000 
feet, and also at a much greater distance to the 
westward than where he has placed it. 

Again, we are told emphatically that the lake first 
seen inundates during the rains the districts in the 
south very extensively. Is it possible that the lake 
at the north side, which has, in the short space of 
30 geographical miles, no fewer than six large out¬ 
lets running north, can be the same lake, or connected 
with that sheet of water seen 160 miles to the south; 
or from whence can that water come that feeds that 
which supplies so many streams running northward? 
Not, certainly, from the Jordans gully; but should 
it be so, then it is the only phenomenon of the kind 
to be seen in any quarter of the globe. The Ki- 
tangule river alone cannot possibly give the requisite 
supply. 


156 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

The south portion of the lake, Captain Speke tells 
us, appears to be of little depth, more resembling 
flooded land than a deep, silent lake. Next, as re¬ 
gards the sources. North of the parallel of Tangan¬ 
yika, the rainy season commences in November and 
terminates in the middle of May. Whence could the 
water come that swelled the Malagarazi river and 
inundated its banks on the 9 th of June, as the 
travellers found on their return from the lake to 
Kazeli ? It must have come from the north-east, if 
not from the Muanza Lake. Again, we are told 
that on the northern shore of the lake the dry season 
commences in December and terminates in March. 
This, also, is the case in all the interior districts 
northwards to Gondokoro. Next, at Ripon Falls, 
July 23rd, and thence along the river to Kidi, but 
especially about Kamrasi’s palace (Sept. 8th), thence 
downwards to the Karuma Falls, on Sept. 8th, the 
Kafu was bringing down numerous floating islands; 
and from Sept. 8th to the end of October (p. 557— 
571), both the Kafu and the Nile were constantly 
rising, bringing down in the stream floating islands, 
composed of rush, grass, ferns, &c. The rivers 
they considered to be in full flood, and which flood 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 157 

they also considered they had carried with them, 
going northwards, since July 23rd to November 9th. 
When at Karuma Falls they found, as they con¬ 
sidered, “the Nile to be in full flood.” All this 
flood is clearly within the time of the regular rains 
of the northern torrid zone, and has nothing con¬ 
nected with the southern zone. Such islands could 
scarcely exist and be detached from the shores of a 
wide lake, unless that lake had been much swollen 
by the same sphere of rain that had tended to swell 
the rivers, but which we find fall very lightly in 
Uganda during December, January, and February 
(Introduction, p. xvi.). The phenomena here alluded 
to aj)pear in all tropical rivers. 

These points considered, brings us to believe that 
in the large space (160 miles) between Muanza in 
the south and Kira in the north, there may really be 
two distinct lakes ; the northern, fed by rivers from 
the distant west, and the southern by smaller streams 
from the southward. All Captain Speke’s descrip¬ 
tions of the north coast of the lake apply more to 
the channel and cburse of a river than to the bed of 
a lake. This river, suppose it to be so, will re¬ 
semble greatly some of the rivers in the table-land 


158 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

of British North America, alternately widening and 
contracting, communicating and interlocking with 
each other in the secondary lakes, so that they form 
a network, in short, of rivers, or branches of rivers 
and smaller lakes, with small rapids between. But 
this is quite different from a river, large or small, 
entering and forming a lake, and then issuing from 
it again in one or more streams ; and it is, moreover, 
totally different in its nature from the lake situated 
in the watershed of a country sending off a stream 
on each side to flow in opposite directions. Besides, 
the table-lands in British North America, where 
such inland communications exist, are seldom more 
than 1,600 to 1,800 feet above the level of the sea, 
and not very far from it, while this portion of African 
table-land is nearly 4,000 feet above the level of the 
sea, and at a great distance from it. But we cannot 
at this moment go into this subject fully. 

Further, Captain Speke pointedly tells us he was 
satisfied that in Uganda the whole lake, at no very 
distant period of time, had been upwards of 300 feet 
higher than it is at present—the'n extending over 
the districts of Unyoro, Uganda, and part of 
Karagwe. What, then, becomes of the districts on 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 150 

the south side, which are not stated to have been 
disturbed ? These must have been GOO or 800 feet 
below the lake. 

Had Captain Speke been acquainted with, or 
allowed himself to have been fully acquainted with 
the researches of others that had preceded him in 
Eastern Africa, he might, even with the rambling 
data which he has gleaned, have made out a more 
rational delineation of this portion of Africa than he 
has done. On the contrary, he has left everything 
indefinite, confused, and unsatisfactory. Take, for 
instance, the important position of Kira. At page 
449 he informs us that it was a Royal boat station 
on the Nyanza, on the road to Urondogani by the 
Nyanza. At page 472 he tells us that he was at 
Kira, from which place he despatched a messenger 
to King Mtesa; yet not a word he tells us of what 
he saw at Kira, or about either lake or river. No 
correct or thinking geographer can find his way in 
such pages. It would puzzle the most acute Phila¬ 
delphia lawyer to unravel the maze, or to derange 
the narrative more than Captain Speke himself 
has done. 

In reference to the climate of this portion of 


160 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Africa, and that its great salubrity is well adapted 
to European constitutions, we totally, and from some 
knowledge of tropical climates, dissent from it. The 
hills of Karagwe may be comparatively healthy, 
but the valleys must be hot and moist, both of which 
are inimical to health, especially to Europeans. 
Along the whole northern shore of the lake to Na¬ 
poleon Inlet the country is comparatively flat, inter¬ 
sected with deep gullies and drains, stagnant pools, 
or nearly stagnant waters, numerous marshes, 
streams covered thickly with water plants and long 
grass, perhaps six feet in height. Towards Kidi, 
northwards, and in the surrounding country, swamp 
and jungle are the masters of the situation, and 
almost banish human beings from the countries 
around. In Kidi the jungle is extensive and terrific ; 
and between Karagwe and Uganda a large space of 
country is totally uninhabited. With the whole 
country undrained, the thermometer ranging from 
60° to 90°, according to the season or the time of 
the day, it is impossible that such districts can be 
suitable for or suited to European constitutionSc 
With regard to the great question of commerce, 
we remark, did it never strike Captain Speke in his 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 161 


advance,—declaring, as lie frequently and emphati¬ 
cally did, that he went to open up an entirely new 
channel,—that the jealous tribes to the south of the 
lake would see in that the ruin of their present trade, 
and thus render them unfriendly to his object ? As 
regards the chiefs to the northward, could he not 
perceive that the chiefs of Karagwe would in his 
Nile project see the priority preference as to profit 
and revenue given to Mtesa by placing him before 
them, and Kamrasi of Unyoro before both ? They 
dreaded this, and accordingly he is obliged to tell us 
that his kind friend Rumanika had sent secret in¬ 
structions to Mtesa to show him little or nothing in 
Uganda, and when he had finished with him, to send 
him (Speke) back to Uganda, to perfect, perhaps, 
his engineering skill upon his fatted Queens. But 
truly, the idea of any settled or profitable commerce 
between these parts of Africa and Europe is a com- 
plete delusion. In remote regions such as these, 
where there is no stable government, whether legiti¬ 
mate or usurped, and no recognised and just laws, 
and where there is and can be no security for life, 
liberty, and property,—because, as Kamrasi told 
Speke, on the death of a ruler, by natural death or 




162 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

violence, the legitimate successor or daring rebel 
and usurper fought for the regal dignity, the 
strongest, of course, being the successful ruler,—in 
such countries no security can be found. Besides, 
where are the roads or easy means of communication, 
either by land or by water ? There are none what¬ 
ever. The population everywhere are poor, miser¬ 
able, plundered, enslaved, and engaged in perpetual 
wars. In every tribe and state also the population 
are all either averse to continuous labour, or to anv 
labour at all calculated to produce or collect any 
quantity of tropical produce for exchange, either for 
internal or external trade. The uncertainty, length, 
and danger of internal conveyance are everywhere so 
great, that even if such articles as sugar, coffee, or 
cotton could be obtained for nothing, none of these 
articles would defray the cost of bringing them from 
distant interior parts to the sea-coast for any Euro¬ 
pean or Asiatic market. Can industry and com¬ 
merce, which must always go hand in hand, exist in 
such countries? No. 

Captain Speke informs us, that when in Karagwe 
he dreamed that he was actively engaged with Sir 
Roderick Murchison in devising a plan for an expe- 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 103 

clition to cross Africa from sea to sea, and, of course, 
to regenerate Africa. It appears, from what has 
since occurred, that he intends to do so. At Taunton 
he dwelt upon his gigantic project, but whether Sir 
Roderick will join in the scheme or not time will 
show. “My object is,” says he, “nothing less than 
to regenerate Africa.” For this purpose he selects 
districts near the Equator, “ where only three inches 
of rain fall each day.” In addition to the negro 
clergy there ought to be Ambassadors to Africa, 
men with authority from our Government, and who, 
trading with the kings (British Ambassadors trading 
with kings !), would be also a first step to put an end 
to the diabolical slave trade. 

The direct plan of doing this would be by or¬ 
ganising an expedition in the following way:—In 
the first place let there be negro depots along the 
east and the west coasts of Africa, assisting emanci¬ 
pated slaves. Let these be trained as sailors and 
taught the English language, so that they may 
assist our own navigators. Let these natives be 
taken across the continent of Africa and shown the 
positions in which the trade chiefly exists, and then 
prevent the merchants conveying slaves. After the 


1G4 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

depots had been formed I would take in the aggre¬ 
gate five hundred men, a few from each station, and 
would then commence from the east coast of Africa 
and march across along the Equator to the west 
coast. “The negroes, or blacks, cannot rule their 
own land, therefore to rule it well there must 
be a government therein like the British Govern¬ 
ment in India.” “ I will engage in it myself if the 
Government feel inclined to support me in it.” 

To this wild project even the Prime Minister of 
the King of Uganda would properly exclaim (see 
page 279) “ Woh, woh, woh, what will happen 
next?” If our Prime Minister whenever such a 
scheme is laid before him does not meet it with a 
similar shout, we are greatly mistaken, and will 
then, and then only, if he does not so consider it, 
believe that he has lost all knowledge of geography, 
which we know he formerly possessed, and all know¬ 
ledge of mankind, their affairs and objects, which 
he is known to possess in such an eminent degree. 

However, in the present state of wild feeling 
which predominates in this country, there is no 
saying what may take place. The very magnitude 
of the expenditure such an impracticable scheme 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 165 

would require to carry out, will probably secure the 
trial of it. The idea, however, of carrying negroes 
trained as navigators on the East Coast of Africa to 
the West Coast of that continent, through the 
whole interior of the continent, instead of conveying 
them by sea by the way of the Cape of Good Hope, 
is so novel and would be so expensive that it is sure 
to find supporters in this wealthy and easily-deluded 
country. Judging from the expenditure incurred in 
Captain Speke’s late expedition (probably 7,000/., 
including his expenses in Egypt and passage thence 
to this country, and all Baker’s), a few hundreds of 
thousands of pounds would go but a little way to 
defray the u preliminary expenses ” in the pursuit of 
this gigantic ignis fattens, while the future expendi¬ 
ture of many many millions would certainly give full 
scope to numerous gigantic jobs, yielding a profit¬ 
able return to the projectors and the supporters of 
the scheme. 

If Sir Roderick Murchison takes our sincere and 
humble advice he will have nothing to do with this 
new African “ dream.” But as some one may pro¬ 
bably be sent back, we would earnestly implore 
both the Royal Geographical Society and the 


M 


1GG DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Government to take especial care regarding those 
who are to be sent on the important work. They 
must not patronise or send— 

First. Such men as seek to make capital for 
themselves, not wealth for Africa, by tales about 
the slave trade and cotton. 

Secondly. They must not send such men as make, 
and have made it their sport, to murder elephants. 
Those creatures may be rendered serviceable to 
man, and, moreover, appear to have more judgment 
than a large majority of the people of Africa and 
other bipeds who visit her unhappy shores : and 

Thirdly. They must not send men, if such men 
there be, who “ kiss and tell,” and then boast that 
they do so. 

No such men will ever regenerate Africa. There 
is, however, one man who has been strangely kept 
in the background in the late journeys—Captain 
Grant—“throughout the gentleman.” He would 
suit, providing he accepts the task; to be accom¬ 
panied by associates, but, with the above exceptions, 
of his own choosing. We never find him engaged 
in drinking pombe, flirting or coquetting, and col¬ 
lecting harems. Even when dancing with Ukulima 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1GT 


(p. 138) lie is the gentleman, and with that charac¬ 
ter, bows kindly towards the drooping and delighted 
creature. He is the man; he will not, we think, 
waste his time in anything nonsensical. 

We have said that the true Nile source has not 
yet been found out. Well, there are others who 
also think as we do, for just as we were finishing 
our wearisome and painful task, a letter from Baker 
to Consul Petherick, dated March 9th, 1863, came 
into our hands, in which he says he had determined 
“ to devote twelve months to the discovery of the 
Nile sources.” So these remain still to be dis¬ 
covered! Wonders succeed wonders, for he goes 
on to say, “there should be a public-house built on 
the equator, where the traveller could obtain a glass 
of beer. It will become a great highway—a fashion¬ 
able tour.” Well, by all means let us have the 
hotel, say thus :— 

THE RIPON FALLS HOTEL. 

SPEKE AND MTESA. 

Pombe and Mbugus Always Beady. 

If such an establishment is proposed under a 
Pioyal charter, which the Government could not 


1G8 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

refuse, we will Let a new English penny coin 
against a royal Mbugu that the requisite capital 
would be obtained amongst the multitudes in this 
country whose heads are softer than their hearts. 
A hotel, a splendid Court, where flirting, intriguing, 
and drinking pombe are the order of the day, would 
be sure to draw a fashionable array of visitors, as a 
railway will follow. 

There are always two sides to a story, whatever 
that story may be. We can, however, give at 
once both sides of the tale we are about to notice, 
differing as they very widely do. At page 607 
Captain Speke tells us that “ though I was much 
annoyed at Petherick, yet I did not wish to break 
friendship, but dined and conversed with him.” Of 
this, the only dinner, an eye-witness (Mrs. Petherick), 
in a letter dated Khartoum, December 21st, 1863, 
most pointedly tells us that Petherick’s boats with 
ample supplies had reached Gondokoro before 
Baker’s, and also before Speke came up; with 
Baker’s assent she made out a list of proper neces¬ 
saries for them (we have already seen what those 
were). They were all packed up, sent, and returned, 
with Speke’s .thanks for the attention paid, but 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 1G9 

adding that Baker had already packed and furnished 
supplies. Our space prevents us from noticing at 
length those strange occurrences :— 

‘ But they (Speke and Baker) dined with us, and 
we had a tremendously large ham, which we had 
brought from England, cooked. This we always 
said should be done when we met Speke. During 
dinner I endeavoured to prevail on Speke to accept 
our aid, but he drawlingly replied, “ I do not wish 
to recognise the succour dodge.” The rest of the 
conversation I am not well enough to repeat. I 
grow heart-sick now as I did then. After all our 
toil! Never mind, it will recoil upon him yet, his 
heartless conduct. I soon left the table, and never 
dined with them again.’ 

But this is but a trifling portion of the narrative. 
It is surpassed by the effrontery of what follows. 
In a letter from Speke, dated April 19th, 1863, 
written in the British Consulate (Petherick was then 
British Consul) at Khartoum, on his way down the 
river to “ my dear Petherick,” he proceeds thus :— 

‘ We came down the Nile all right, the last 
Nigger arriving on the fortieth day, and have lived 
ever since very comfortably under the tender care of 



170 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

your fair Fatima. 0 To-morrow we hope to be well 
away in the early morning, consigning your small 
packages to their destination in as good order as 
you gave them to us. The spades you gave us I 
have made over to Fatty, as our Reis bought sheep 
on the way with dollars. I was sorry to find, on 
arrival here, that the townspeople had reported you 
dead, and in consequence of it the Royal Geogra¬ 
phical Society had determined on sending the second 
thousand pounds to Baker, with a view to assist in 
looking after us. This now is too bad; for Habil 
never gave the slightest credence to the report 
brought down by the merchants, and stated so in 
his answers to his brother’s inquiries at Cairo. To 
make the best of the matter, and to do justice to all, 
I wrote home a full explanation of our conversations 
at home before we left England, and the position we 
were in at Gondokoro. Should you feel inclined to 
write a full statement of the difficulties you had to 
contend with in going up the White Nile, it would 

* This fair Fatima was Petherick’s cook. Speke has sent her 
his photograph : but what else the “great prince” gave her from 
his royal bounty, for all her tender care, he saith not; which is 
somewhat surprising. 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 171 

be a great relief to the mind of every person 
connected with the succouring fund, and also to 
myself, as people’s tongues are always ready in this 
meddling world. With Grant’s best wishes con¬ 
jointly with my own to Mrs. Petherick and yourself 
for your health and safety in the far interior, believe 
me, yours truly.’ 

Well, Speke’s mind will be speedily relieved. 
Petherick’s full report was to leave Khartoum about 
the close of December. Scarcely any human being, 
but especially female, could have survived the 
miseries that Mrs. Petherick has endured. Yet 
this heroic lady concludes thus:—“ With nothing 
to conceal and no action to blush for, no wrong 
done to any one, we patiently wait the result.” 
Justice will at last arrive. Then the great Indian 
Prince must descend from his Musned and become 
like other mortals. “ Magna est veritas et pre¬ 
valent” 



172 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


No. V.—CONCLUSION. 

The length to which our observations on this 
subject extended in our previous numbers induced 
us to stop where we did. But on recurring to the 
question, and in reviewing what we had done, we 
found that several important points and facts requi¬ 
site to elucidate more fully and clearly the whole 
subject had been omitted. We proceed, and as 
concisely as possible, to revert to these—to authori¬ 
ties both ancient and modern. 

In reference to the important river, Sobat or Red 
River (which is the meaning of the word), we simply 
gave Speke’s longitude and latitude of it, according 
to his middle mouth, to contrast with those given by 
M. Arnaud, and without any further remark. There 
is no such a thing as three mouths for this river ; it 
has only one, by which Mahomed Ali’s expedition 
entered, and went up it about 150 miles. At the 
point where they turned back the officers found the 
stream 1100 feet broad and 12 feet deep, with a 
current at the rate of one half-mile per hour, and 
this in the height of the dry season. They con- 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OE THE NILE. 173 

sidered the river to bring down a moiety of the 
water of the Nile. Captain Speke, in his celebrated 
oration on his first appearance in the Geographical 
Society after his return, and also in his statement 
inserted in the Proceedings of the Royal Geogra¬ 
phical Society , vol. vii., p. 223, states that the 
River Sobat, and one that he calls Giraffe, run into 
the Blue River after a “graceful sweep,” and not 
into the White River. His words are, “ The Blue 
River combining with the Giraffe and Sobat describes 
a graceful sweep. In the height of the dry season 
on the White River, the Blue River is found navi¬ 
gable owing to the great accessions of the Giraffe 
and Sobat rivers.” It is not worth our while to 
point out the quarter from whence Speke borrowed 
this and three mouths to the Sobat. But as Pethe- 
rick’s journals and observations are now in the 
hands of the Royal Geographical Society, we feel 
confident that these, as regards the Sobat, will con¬ 
firm the accuracy of the Egyptian expedition account 
thereof as seen in 1840.° The river, we may fur- 

* A letter from Petherick, dated January 12, 1864, just come 
into our hands, tells what we anticipated. He says, “ I was sorry 
I could not send the measurement of the second Sobat, as I only 
knew of its existence in the imagination of Captain Speke. 


174 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

ther observe, instead of no one knowing, as Speke 
says, where it comes from, is, according to Dr. Peney, 
found to be a considerable stream about 60 miles 
east of the Nile, in about 4° N. lat., near the moun¬ 
tains of Leria, not u Illyria,” as Speke has it, and 
there descending from the southward. 

Captain Speke gives us no information whatever 
regarding the Nile, from Gondokoro to Khartoum, 
either as regards its magnitude, breadth, depth, or 
current, or the longitudes and latitudes of its more 
important parts. This is a great want and a grave 
neglect; nor does he give us any correct idea in all 
these essential points regarding the river, we may 
say from the Karuma Falls downwards to Gondo¬ 
koro, except just to state shortly that near Paira, 
where they fell in with it north of Faloro, it had 
there the appearance of “a fine Highland stream,” 
none of which that we know of are in their early 
sources of any great magnitude. Here, in beholding 
it as such, they felt surprised at its reduced magni¬ 
tude when compared to the size they deemed it to 
be when first seen at Urondogani, namely, 600 to 
700 yards in breadth, and very deep, but with a 
slow current. With regard to the diminished mag- 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE RILE. 175 

nitude of the stream at Paira, as compared with that 
at Urondogani, the solution is easy, because when 
they saw it at the latter place it was in the rising 
flood, and at the former, in the height, it may be said, 
of the dry season. Turning to Dr. Peney, he tells 
us ( Bulletin , Paris, 1863) that at the village of 
Tambour, just in the rapid of Makedo, he found the 
Nile 45 metres (190 feet) broad and 19 feet deep, 
and with a current of nearly eight miles per hour in 
the centre of the stream. This was at the close of 
February, in the height of the dry season. The 
same authority tells us that the Nile rises above six 
metres (23 feet) at Gondokoro, and that at this place 
it is 400 metres (1594 feet) broad. 

It may fairly be presumed that it was on this 
portion of the Nile that the Centurions of Nero 
were compelled to turn back. At 600 Roman miles 
above Meroe they came to the dreadful marshes; 
but they penetrated to 800 miles (one account says 
890 miles), at which distance they must have 
reached the cataracts and rapids (about 4° N. lat.) 
on the river, which are found in the quarter which 
we have just examined. It is, indeed, most remark¬ 
able how the discoveries of to-day bear out the 


170 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

accuracy of the descriptions of this quarter of 
Africa, made, we may say, 3,000 years ago, and 
showing most clearly that the features and elevation 
of the country are in every respect the same, thus 
proving that the great laws of nature which regulate 
the floods of the Nile remain unaltered. The Nile 
now begins to rise at Cairo, in Egypt, on the 18th 
of June, exactly to a day as it did since the oldest 
period of history, whether sacred or profane, states 
it to have done. 

Here let us correct an error that we had fallen 
into in the early portion of our review. It was 
not Debono, reported to be a Maltese, and con¬ 
sequently a British subject, but a nephew of his, 
that Consul Petherick detected carrying on the 
slave trade on the White Nile, and sent to Cairo 
to the British Consul-General to answer for his mis¬ 
deeds ; but perhaps his being a Turkish subject, and 
one of this privileged class, set him free from any 
punishment. 

Our author, with a dictatorial authority worthy of 
Mtesa himself, asserts that all the knowledge which 
the whole progeny of his ancestor Japhet possessed, 
Greek, Roman, Macedonian, &c., was first taught 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE RILE. 177 

by and derived from Hindostan. That the whole 
of these geographers first alluded to, Ptolemy 
especially, were a set of “humbugs.” Now, this 
is rather hard upon old Ptolemy, after he has placed 
a lake as the source of the chief branch of the 
Nile almost upon the exact spot where a lake and 
the source are placed by Captain Speke. We have 
already noticed the error which Ptolemy was led 
into by placing his chief Nile lake due west from 
a given point on the east coast, while that point 
was in reality 6° more to the north than he was 
taught to believe it really was. Again, he places 
Alexandria in 60° 30' E. long, from his first 
meridian, always taken in the westernmost of the 
Canary Islands — Ferro, in longitude (by our 
reckoning) 17° 54' west. This shows an error of 
12° 41' too much. But this error is at once 
rectified by correcting the error into which Ptolemy 
and others were led by taking the length of the 
stades a great deal more than it should have been, 
namely, GOO stades to a degree of the Equator, 
instead of 500 stades, as has been done. Taking it 
at 500 stades (see Vivien St. Martin’s Africa: Paris, 
1843), and next the proportion to fix the breadth 



178 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

of the degree in the parallel of Alexandria (31 12'), 
and we shall have the distance in longitude very 
nearly, indeed, correct, according to our mode of 
reckoning, that is, Alexandria 29° 53'; and the 
eastern source of the White Nile, according to 
Ptolemy, 4° 30' more east, will be in 34° 23', within 
a few miles of where Speke seeks to place it. 
Why, then, his coarse and unnecessary abuse of 
Ptolemy ? 

We return for a moment to Speke’s Wahuma. 
That Adam was the head of the tribe no one will 
dispute. That they are descended from Europeans 
we leave our author to prove, and not to assert, 
reminding him that Japliet, the great progenitor of 
Europeans, was white, and that his Wahuma are 
black. He asserts that they are all descended from 
the great Jewish king David, while Zerah, the 
Ethiopian, was the next head of their tribe or race. 
Now, David’s connection with them, if it existed, or 
ever could exist, could only be through Solomon 
and the Queen of Sheba, who came from African 
Ethiopia. From the death of David, 1014 A.C., 
to the accession of Solomon to the throne, in the 
same year, to the attack on Judah, by Zerah, in the 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 179 


reign of King Asa, 941 A.C., was a period of 
seventy-four years. The Queen of Sheba visited 
Solomon in the twenty-third year of his reign, con¬ 
sequently there remained only fifty-one years to 
produce from this connection a race, or in gaining 
the command of a people, mustering for a very 
distant war-field 1,000,000 fighting men. That 
Solomon’s “Royal Bounty” to this celebrated 
Queen produced an heir to her throne is stated, 
and generally believed, in Eastern Tropical Africa, 
and may be readily admitted. But if this splendid, 
intelligent, and majestic Queen, Moqueda by name, 
had started up with Solomon in 18G2, and seen the 
sable Queen Dowager Nyanamore “ showing her 
broad stern” to the company while drinking pombe 
in company with her ministers and Captain Speke, 
pig fashion, both would, we are convinced, have 
indignantly disavowed the relationship, scattered 
the blockheads, and promptly dispelled the delu¬ 
sion. 

Before quitting these pages, so filled with inde¬ 
cency, we may make one more quotation. The 
Queen Dowager had informed him “that she loved 
him much — loved him exceedingly!” Subse- 


180 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

quently, at a meeting with her private Court Circle 
(p. 361), the conversation turned upon the capa¬ 
bilities of the women in the Royal Harem, when 
the attendants, laughing, asked Speke if he got a 
black wife, what the colour of the progeny by her 
would be. “ The company became jovial, when the 
Queen improved it by making a significant ges¬ 
ture, with roars of laughter asking me (Speke) 
if I would like to be her son-in-law, for she had 
some beautiful daughters, either of the Wahuma 
or the Waganda breed!” Speke never should 
have allowed such narratives to have issued from 
his mouth, or stained his pages with such rubbish 
as this. 

Further, a few words are necessary connected 
with the geography of Uganda. Speke does not 
give us the height of the hill on which the capital 
stood, but it is clear that the height is not great. 
We may, however, approximate it. It is 3,400 feet 
above the level of the sea; Namaouji, distant about 
15 miles N.E. by E., is 3,103 feet. Murchison 
Creek, three or four miles west of the capital, is 
on a level with the lake, or nearly so, or say 290 
feet below the summit of the hill. This will alve 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 181 

the level of the creek at its junction with the lake 
to be 3,100 feet above the level of the sea, or 640 
feet below the level of the lake at the Napoleon 
Inlet on the lake, and the same number of feet 
below the height of its southern shore! Between 
Murchison Creek and Napoleon Inlet, Speke was 
told that there were several great cataracts. How 
can there be any cataracts in the same lake, and 
how can the opposite shores of a lake be lower 
than the other shore of it, and how was one por¬ 
tion of the shore of the same lake higher than 
another portion of the same coast thereof? Can 
Captain Speke explain and clear up this con¬ 
fusion ? ° 

Again, as regards the Mountains of the Moon, 
we have never met with any account, ancient or 

* Captain Speke has six or seven outlets to his Lake Nyanza, all 
issuing from the north side and all running north, thus :— 

1. The Mwerango River. 

2. The River Myo Myanza joins the Mwerango. 

3. Murchison Creek, which must be either the Myo My¬ 
anza or the KitawaDa River, beside and near it several other 
streams. 

4. The Luajerri River runs to the Nile. 

5. The Nile from the Napoleon Channel. 

G. Asua River, a river running from the north-east corner of 
Lake Nyanza, flowing N.W. to the Nile. 


182 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

modern, pointing out in any manner why moun¬ 
tains in the quarter mentioned were or should be 
so designated. We believe the name proceeds from 
the following reason:—The moon is held in great 
reverence all over Tropical Africa. At the full 
moon it may truly be said that the whole popula¬ 
tion of Africa, old and young, are every night, for 
successive nights, engaged throughout it, singing, 
dancing, and feasting. Also everywhere when 
they speak of or point to a high mountain, they 
say “Moon Mountain;” and when speaking of 
an exceeedingly high mountain they say “ Moon, 
Moon Mountain.” Hence, probably, the name of 
Mountain Range of the Moon for any very high hills 
or mountains throughout Tropical Africa. 

Further about the moon. At page 243, and 
under dates January 5th and 6th, 1862, Speke 
informs us that:—“ At night there was a partial 
eclipse of the moon. All the Wanguana marched 
up and down from Rumanika’s to Nanaji’s huts, 
singing and beating our tin cooking pots to frighten 
away the Spirit of the Sun from consuming entirely 
the chief object of their reverence, the moon.” On 
consulting our astronomical authorities, we find 




DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 183 

that on the 17th December, 1861, there was a 
partial eclipse of the moon, and on the 31st 
December, 1861 (the same year), there was a 
total eclipse of the sun. Consequently there was 
not, and could not be, any eclipse of the moon, 
partial or otherwise, at the time stated by Captain 
Speke. The people of the real moon had a very 
hearty laugh at the story told, when the account 
reached them in due course. They were completely 
puzzled to account for the want of judgment shown 
by the author of the tale, trying, however, to 
account for it on the supposition that Captain 
Speke had a moon of his own, which he moved 
about like his “Mountains of the Moon,” or else 
that he had abstracted and carried off Rumanika’s 
moon in his pocket. 

We may also here observe, in reference to the 
stated extent of the surface of Lake Nyanza, that 
the extent is given according to the reduced scale, 
taking it according to what Speke says he saw 
and heard in his first journey, and what he saw 
and heard in his second journey. As he has given- 
it in his new work it is three times the extent that 
we have stated; this, consequently, if correct, makes 


184 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

his inconsistencies and errors more serious and 
reprehensible. 

Before coining to a conclusion, we must notice a 
work, published at Edinburgh in 1810, by De Foe. 
Extracts from it have been sent to us by the Secre¬ 
tary of the Asiatic Society of Bombay. These give 
a concise account, so far, of a journey undertaken in 
1720 from the East Coast of Africa, commencing 
in about 12° S. lat., with the intention of proceed¬ 
ing across the continent to the Congo in Angola. 
The journey is attributed to Captain Singleton and 
his ship’s crew. They passed to the northward of 
Lake Nyassa, and thence proceeding they came to 
“ a goodly river ” running north, and from thence 
northwards and westwards till they came upon 
what must have been Lake Tanganyika, near its 
south end, as they struck it in 6*22° S. lat. After 
23 days alongside of it northwards they rounded 
it, and then were told that they could not proceed 
westward to gain the Congo because another great 
lake lay in their way. They marched north along 
its western shore till they came to its end a little 
beyond the Equator, where they found a considerable 
river running north, which they set down as the 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 185 

Nile, but not wishing to go by that route they 
turned to the westward, and finally, after many 
delays, taking from necessity different routes, they 
reached the Gold Coast. In the country to the 
north of the lake last mentioned they came upon a 
nation of negroes, who w~ent, old and young, quite 
naked. They also met, in an uninhabited part, with 
a hideous serpent of fearful aspect and fangs, which 
threatened to attack them, and whose hissing was 
heard to a great distance. His men insisted that it 
was the Devil, but this he says could not, for a droll 
reason, be the case, because the Devil was not likely 
to be found in a country where there were no in¬ 
habitants. We have not ourselves seen this book, 
but the author of it seems to have written it with 
some knowledge of this portion of Africa. Here is, 
therefore, another claimant for the honour of the 
discovery of the sources of the White Nile. 

Just as this part of our review was going to the 
press, we received the account that Petherick’s 
accounts, journals, observations, and maps had 
reached this country, and at the same time the 
rash act, but to us anticipated act, of his deposition 
as British Consul. The following communication 


186 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

will tell us tlie sad consequences and the great 
injustice of the act. Petherick’s letters in our hands 
also fully bear out all that this honest Belgian Consul 
states. We hasten to give the most material parts 
of his very able letter, thus :— 

[Translation.] 

“ Khartoum , Jan. 28, 1864. 

‘ A few days ago we received intelligence that the 
British Government had resolved to abolish the 
Consulate which it had established in the Soudar. 
in 1849. That decision has troubled the honest 
portion of the colony, because, under the painful 
circumstances in which it is placed, it found in the 
experience and character of the British Consul a 
favourite rallying-point. 

1 A higher motive renders it desirable to maintain 
at Khartoum the British Consulate. The slave- 
traffic on the White Nile (for a long time held in 
restraint sufficiently feeble) has had for some years 
— thanks to the encouragement of certain high 
functionaries, who find their profit in it—an ex¬ 
tension truly frightful; and it is exercised with such 
horrors that I hesitate to describe them. Every 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 187 

year more than 100 vessels leave Khartoum for 
the purpose of hunting down the negroes; and 
slaves who formerly were brought in by stealth 
are now dragged publicly along the highways of 
the country, and even through the streets of Khar¬ 
toum, with the yoke on their necks. The British 
Consul, Mr. J. Petherick, initiated measures which 
would have soon placed a limit to the traffic; un¬ 
fortunately, owing to the aversion of four-fifths of 
the Khartoumians, who live by it, and of the high 
functionaries, their accomplices, he saw his reputa¬ 
tion tarnished by false accusations; his fellow-citizens 
and friends misled on his account, and he found no 
sufficient support even before his superiors, who 
were doubtless thus prejudiced against him. 

‘The non-success of Mr. Petherick in his pro¬ 
ceedings against certain persons accused of this 
traffic has given licence to these slave dealers. 
Assured henceforth of impunity and of the ineffi¬ 
ciency of the law, they have thrown off the mask. 
It is an everlasting scandal to civilized Europe thus 
to authorise by her silence the infamous piracy which 
has stained the White Nile with blood; and for anti¬ 
slavery England, who instead of declaring herself 


188 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

impotent by abolishing her Consulate at Khartoum, 
should have surrounded it with all the prestige 
possible, authorised severe measures, and extended 
her hand to enforce their execution. * 

4 Although personal considerations may be for us 
of secondary importance, and we are not the apolo¬ 
gists of Mr. Petherick, we ought to add that the 
Consul—(a man of intelligence, and possessing a 
knowledge of the Soudan from a long experience)— 
has performed the duties of his office with an in¬ 
tegrity and firmness which may w T ell serve as an 
example to his colleagues. In the blow which has 
deprived Mr. Petherick of office, that which is the 
most distressing is the fact that his deposition 
followed quickly upon energetic measures taken by 
him against this traffic, and against that oppression 
which the local authorities endeavoured to bring to 
bear upon Europeans:—I repeat, this deposition of 
Mr. Petherick passes current through the country as 
a disavowal of those measures, and is regarded as a 
censure publicly inflicted upon Mr. Petherick by his 
superiors in consequence of the attitude he assumed. 

1 1 am ignorant whether the British Government 
can now reconsider the decision it has taken ; but I 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 189 

do know that the re-establishment of a British Con¬ 
sulate at Khartoum would be a measure which all 
those who have at heart the triumph of the principles 
of civilization in this barbarous country would receive 
with joy. 

(Signed) 4 De Vruyssenaire.’ 

We shall not quote Petherick’s own statements 
relating to these painful subjects, but show from 
another source the base accusations that were 
brought against him. We quote from a letter to 
him from Mr. Baker now before us, dated Feb. 9, 
1863 

‘ I have much to say to you that I cannot write. 
There are serious intrigues against you in Khar¬ 
toum. An accusation was sent to the Consul- 
General against you, signed by nearly all the 
Europeans of Khartoum, including the official de¬ 
claration of two Consulates (who are they?), charging 
you with some former participation in slavery. Of 
course the seals of numerous natives ornamented 
the document.’ 


190 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 

Well, let us now have the names of those knaves, 
more especially of the Consuls. We can guess them. 

Did the Consul-General transmit that profligate 
accusation to Europe without placing it in Petlie- 
rick’s hands, and allowing him to answer it, and 
also without sending Petherick’s slave-trade corres¬ 
pondence with him. along with it ? If he did all 
this, then it is the Consul-General and not the 
Consul that should have been dismissed. Again, 
did our Foreign Office, acting only upon the au¬ 
thority of the above infamous charge, dismiss a 
public servant without showing that servant the ac¬ 
cusation brought against him, and without enabling 
him to vindicate himself? It would really appear 
that this is the course that has been adopted. 
Surely there are men in the Legislature who will 
call for the production of the papers and all the 
correspondence upon this important subject, in order 
that the British public may know the truth. In 
Khartoum there are only from 20 to 30 Europeans. 
Mr. Baker calls it a “horrid den! ” and Dr. Murie 
says “ they are chiefly low, rascally Frenchmen and 
Italians! ” Is a British subject to be ruined and 
oppressed to please men like these? 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 191 

This is a most unfortunate, a sad termination to 
the late great African exploration combination plan. 
But it is only such a termination as might have been 
anticipated from a scheme ill-contrived and most in¬ 
judiciously carried on. That Captain Speke’s un¬ 
founded charges against Consul Petherick influenced 
the Government and those to whom the Govern¬ 
ment looked up to for correct information and sound 
counsel, in short, in the quarter to which the Foreign 
Office looked to, scarcely any doubt can remain. 
How much, then, has Captain Speke to answer for, 
and how greatly is he to blame for the course he has 
pursued, and how bitterly must he feel, if he is 
capable of reflection, at the thoughts of the conse¬ 
quences which his flippant conduct and proceedings 
have produced. Here is the individual whom Speke 
urged to join and aid him in his journey,—the man 
whom the Foreign Office patronised, assisted, and 
permitted to lend his aid,—the energetic and expe¬ 
rienced individual whom the Poyal Geographical 
Society, through their proper authorities, encou¬ 
raged, assisted, prompted, and selected as the most 
proper individual they could find to convey assist¬ 
ance and advice to Speke,—here, we say, is that 




192 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


individual thrown overboard without pity, his private 
fortune wasted, the health of himself and his heroic 
and attached wife, altogether and perhaps irre¬ 
trievably ruined, and his character as a merchant 
and a public servant blasted in the eyes of his 
countrymen and of the civilized world, by being 
charged with a dereliction of duty, and with the 
crime of slave dealing, at the moment he was doing 
everything in his power to put it down. Here are 
all these ills heaped upon a poor man’s head by 
those who should have defended him; while Captain 
Speke, whom he went to aid, and who never in all 
his journey said one word against either slavery or 
the slave trade, both of which he not only saw going 
on before his eyes daily in all their horrors, but in 
which it may almost be said he participated when 
he accepted presents of female slaves as servants 
“ to carry his water,” and after retaining them at 
his pleasure, next handed them over thoughtlessly 
to his Zanzibar assistants and followers as their 
servants, to carry to Zanzibar, where they must 
remain their slaves. 0 Shame, where is thy blush ! 
0 y ° ° ° 0 ° ° ° where is your judgment—where is 
your justice ! You have injured innocence, and tar- 



DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 193 


nished the great name of our country in the eyes of 
the world by the rash step you have taken; and no 
compensation that can now be given to Mr. Petlie- 
rick can compensate him for the hardships, miseries, 
and losses that he has met with and sustained. 

The fate which has overtaken Mr. Petherick 
will, we doubt not, prove a lesson to others who 
may be invited to join in similar undertakings, not 
to leave anything to chance, or to take everything 
for- granted, with whomsoever they have to deal. 
Captain Speke will have full time to reflect upon 
his proceedings in this case. He left England on 
a great and noble enterprise. He was patronised 
and supported in it by the Government of India, 
by the British Government, and by the Royal 
Geographical Society, the greatest and most intel¬ 
ligent body of the kind in the world, and with the 
good wishes and with the sanguine hopes of the 
public. In return, what has he really gained and 
brought back? The sacrifice and ruin of zealous 
associates—a mass of intelligence, if such it can be 
called, so muddled and confused in everything that 
we really believe he himself cannot find his way 
in it. Nor is this all; he came back with tales 


194 DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 


of great empires and polished states in Africa, in 
order to enhance the glory of his reports, and to 
rouse the Government and the nation, upon the 
accuracy of his reports, to lay hold of those parts 
in order to extend our power and our commerce. 
The public for a time was beside itself with those 
fascinating dreams. The whole has turned out 

ft 

mere moonshine. Those great empires have dwin¬ 
dled to atoms; barbarous, rude, savage, and igno¬ 
rant beyond all precedent and example. Instead of 
commerce, fleets, and armies at their command, 
these wretched chiefs cannot muster a few hundreds 
of men, or glean ten recruits at a time to increase 
their armies. 



Finally, we deeply regret the miserable termina¬ 
tion which this great African exploration expedition 
has had. We regret it on the part of the public, 
and we sincerely lament the result on account of 
Captain Speke himself. It might, it ought to have 
been different. But the only person to blame for 
the poor results is Captain Speke himself. We 
truly lament the time that has been lost, and the 
money that has been spent, without any definite 
settlement of any material point, and with only the 


DISCOVERY OF THE SOURCE OF THE NILE. 195 


absurd result of finding the source of the great 
river Nile placed in a narrow ravine, where not a 
drop of water is to be found, except that which 
drops from the clouds during the periodical rains— 
nay, chiefly the fresh water which rushes into this 
ravine from the flooding of the lake to the north¬ 
ward, and which flood flows in an opposite direction 


to the current of the true Nile stream! 



THE END. 


BRADBURY AND EVANS, PRINTERS, W1IITEFRTARS. 


































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